Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Roman Polanski is a child rapist.

Marko makes the definitive statement concerning the child rapist Polanski and those who would defend him:

Roman Polanski is a child-raping shitbag, and anyone who puffs up and defends that piece of garbage in any way needs their moral compass severely recalibrated, preferably with a framing hammer.

The whole Polanski affair has just reaffirmed what I’ve known for a long time: When it comes to defending one of their own, Liberals are just as capable of hypocritical excuses for shitbaggery as Conservatives.

Defending the indefensible? Asshats.

Making South Charlotte smell like greasy chips for 30 years!

Congrats to Frito-Lay on making South Charlotte smell like greasy chips for 30 years!

I enjoy eating almost all of their glycemic-index wrecking, cholesterol maxing, cruddy fingerprint leaving crunchy potato-based goodness, but if the wind is right, there is a 2 mile stretch of my daily I77 commute guaranteed to make you throw up a little in your mouth. Courtesy of the fine folks at Frito-Lay.

SCOTUS to see Alan Gura again

Taking on a major new constitutional dispute over gun rights, the Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to decide whether to apply the Second Amendment to state, county, and city government laws.
via everyone.

Range Day! (or Range lunch break, I guess)

Today I got to take my only friend in Charlotte to the range. I won't call him a first time shooter, but it's been some time since he's shot anything, and by his own admission his last outing was of the "let's shoot those cans with my roommate's Glock" variety.

We met up at Firepower on my lunch break and spent a quality hour in lane #2. After we reviewed the 4 Rules and I was confident he could follow them (and recite them back to me) we started off with the Smith & Wesson 63 to warm up.

I just replaced the J-Frame's factory wood grips with a set of Pachmayr Presentation Grips that I found used for all of $12. This was a major, major improvement to this fine pistol. The factory checkered wood grips look cool and "vintage-y", and the stag grips that came on the pistol look cool too - not so great for the shooting though. Using the budget Federal Bulk-pack ammo I was getting respectable groups all the way to the wall.

My friend warmed up quickly to the revolver, and it turns out he has a bit of an eye for shooting. He'll probably be better than me (not much of a challenge there) before too long, once he gets rid of his flinch and works on his stance and grip. He was getting everything in the 8 ring or better, with a few outliers.

Next up we brought out the G17, and he really took a shine to the Glock. Both of us were shredding the inside of the 9 ring with 2 precious boxes worth of American Eagle FMJ from my cache. My "tacticool" Streamlight TLR-2 laser-flashlight combo turned out to be a little out of adjustment, so we did not use it much, except to get the laser roughly lined up on center.

Then we used the only ammo we bought from Firepower - a box of PMC .38 FMJ ($18.99 - ouch) to see how he did with the S&W 642 that is my current carry pistol. Even after I warned him, he was surprised by the recoil and report, but adjusted quickly and enjoyed the big bang from the lightweight 5-shot revolver. We shot all 50 rounds with the silhouette target at about 15 feet.

After that we switched back to the Model 63, picked up a bullseye target and shot some CCI 22. I am very happy with the new grips on this pistol, and the CCI ammo is much more accurate than the bulk stuff. My friend had some issues adjusting back to the .22, probably the anticipatory flinch - but when he used the last 10 rounds of 9mm in the Glock to finish up our trip he was back on target.


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

"Anyone who complains about the lack of regulation concerning firearms is a bleeding idiot"

Linoge:

"...if you ever have interactions with police officers involving charges brought against you, it is highly inadviseable to make any sort of public statement about them until they have been resolved.

In other news, anyone who complains about the lack of regulation concerning firearms is a bleeding idiot."

Friday, September 25, 2009

Link between Brady Campaign and MAIG (Mayors Against Illegal Guns) established

@Bitterb and @SebastianSH at SnowFlakes have dug up the connection between MAIG & the Brady Campaign.

Nice work!

Charlotte homeowner shoots guy in his garage

If you're going to be digging through someone else's car, in their garage, at or around 3:30 in the AM - you might get shot.

This guy did.

Great quote on the radio this morning from a neighbor went something like this...

"This never happens in our neighborhood! Well, at least not in this section"
Radio news said the homeowner claimed to have fired at the robber as he fled, which is not the ideal. He hasn't been charged with anything yet.

Maybe he should have gotten in his car and chased him first. That was sarcasm.

The U.N. continues to be an expensive joke.

Marko accurately describes the goings on at the U.N.

Any organization that turns over the podium to an avowed terrorist sponsor, a bugnuts insane Holocaust denier, and a chunky vest pocket tinpot Marxist has a severe credibility deficit. All that was missing was Kim Jong Il walking in with Fidel’s limp husk in tow, and you would have had 90% of the world’s heavyweight asshole dictators all in one spot.
Read the rest of it.

Go Gamecocks!

Gamecocks win!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Been busy.

Newsflash: Ammo shortage. More local regurgitation of "breaking news" from the AP.

Friday, September 18, 2009

No charges against man who shot suspected robber

I am amazed that this guy isn't facing charges. The dead asshat robber's family is certain to sue though.

A law enforcement source had told the Observer that McClure told investigators he chased the robbers who broke into his home because he wanted to shoot out the tires of their getaway car. He ended up in a confrontation and killed Marcus Fluker, one of at least four teens who broke into McClure's home that Saturday afternoon and held him and his wife at gunpoint, authorities say.

The law is clear that shootings can be justified inside someone's home after someone breaks in. But McClure drove after the robbers, plunging the case into more of a gray area, legal experts told the Observer.

from the CO

This is generally not a good idea. Not getting the "Clean Shoot" tag, but good for Mr. McClure.

Mecklenburg District Attorney Peter Gilchrist this afternoon issued this statement regarding a fatal shooting earlier this month:

The investigation into the shooting death of Marcus Fluker by Mr. C.L. McClure has been completed and turned over to the District Attorney's Office. The investigating officers utilized a procedure established by this office which allows departments to request that we make the charging decision. This procedure can be followed when investigation indicates probable cause to arrest is present but officers have questions and request we review the evidence they have gathered in order to determine whether charges should be brought.

On August 22, 2009, 76 year old C.L. McClure was sitting in his basement room cooling off after cutting his yard. At approximately 12:30 in the afternoon, he saw a young black male walk past the door of this room. He thought it was his grandson coming by to see him. When he didn't come into the room, Mr. McClure walked to the door to see what he was doing. He was greeted by a young man with his face covered and armed with a weapon.

Mr. McClure was told to get on the ground. He was duct taped and robbed of cash and jewelry. Another man entered into the basement as well. Mr. McClure was asked who and what was in the main house. Mr. McClure told them his wife was upstairs and to please not hurt her. One man left the other stayed. Mr. McClure's wife was also a victim of this home invasion when they entered the home and took items from there as well.

After a brief period, the other man left and Mr. McClure got off the ground, retrieved a gun he had in the basement, and went to check on his wife. He saw a number of young men running from his house into the woods. From previous break-ins at his residence he believed that the robbers were running to a vehicle on the other side of the woods. His wife told him she was okay and he got into his vehicle. His intention at that time was to get to their car before they did and to shoot out the tires to immobilize their car until the police arrived.

As Mr. McClure approached the area where he thought a car might be parked, there was no car, and instead he saw all the young men running towards him. At this point he fired a shot in the air in an attempt to scatter them away from him and his vehicle and back into the woods. Instead, they kept running towards him. Some passed in front of his car and some behind. As Marcus Fluker passed his car he began to turn towards Mr. McClure. McClure, an Army veteran, had identified the weapon pointed at him at his house as some type of automatic weapon. When Fluker turned towards him he thought he was about to get “sprayed” by fire from this automatic weapon. He fired at him. McClure did not know if he struck him because Mr. Fluker turned back around and continued to run. At this point, McClure no longer felt in danger and did not fire his weapon again.

After the police arrived they went with Mr. McClure into the apartment complex where the individuals had been last scene. At this point, it was learned that Marcus Fluker had been struck by a single gunshot wound. At the place where he was found there was no gun. This location was not secure until the police arrived.

The investigation of this case recovered two firearms taken from Mr. McClure's home and it is clear that Mr. Fluker was one of the individuals involved in the home invasion robbery. As a result of these events, Mr. McClure's 70 year old wife suffered a heart attack.

In making a decision as to whether to charge Mr. McClure in this case, the District Attorney's Office has considered all of the above facts as well as the law of self defense.

The only eyewitness to this shooting is Mr. McClure. The physical evidence corroborates what he told detectives. His idea to find the vehicle and try to delay the escape of those who invaded his home did not make him the aggressor nor did that take away his right of self defense. Mr. McClure believed that his life was in danger and fired in self-defense. It is the burden of the State in a criminal case to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a charged individual did not act in self defense. The State cannot meet that burden in this case as it appears from all the credible evidence that Mr. McClure feared for his life.

If you read all of that you may note that the Observer makes it appear as if Mr. McClure chased the robbers in their vehicle before executing one of them. The Observer also fails to mention the fact that Mrs. McClure suffered a heart attack as a result of the home invasion. I sure hope she is OK.

I now gladly add the "Clean shoot" tag .

It's still not a good idea to go chasing after asshats like that.

Must...not...purchase.


I successfully made it through the entire auction for this Para CCW LDA .45 without bidding or buying now. Whew.

It seems like a good deal though at $649, and I am waiting to hear back from the seller if there is a box and extra magazine included.

I'd really like to get a full size LDA instead, as I don't plan on using this as a carry gun - more of an experiment to see if I like the trigger pull or not. Cosmetics aren't a big deal to me normally, but I suppose I should at least pay attention to the looks if I there is a chance that it may not remain in the cache for very long.

Meh. I really should be looking at more budget appropriate hardware after my Crimson Trace spree last month.

Maybe I should review what I've already got instead.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

ACORN trainwreck Roll Call from US House today

The US House of Reps has joined the US Senate in voting to remove funding from the ACORN hot mess.

Senate vote Monday: 7 Nays

NAYs ---7
Burris (D-IL)
Casey (D-PA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Leahy (D-VT)
Sanders (I-VT)
Whitehouse (D-RI)



House Vote today - the "Noes"

Baldwin
Becerra
Brady (PA)
Brown, Corrine
Butterfield
Capuano
Carson (IN)
Castor (FL)
Cleaver
Clyburn(SC)
Crowley
Cummings
Davis (IL)
DeGette
Delahunt
Doyle
Edwards (MD)
Ellison
Engel
Fattah
Filner
Fudge
Green, Al
Grijalva
Hinchey
Hirono
Holt
Honda
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Johnson, E. B.
Kilpatrick (MI)
Kucinich
Larsen (WA)
Lee (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lynch
Markey (MA)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
Meeks (NY)
Mollohan
Moore (WI)
Moran (VA)
Nadler (NY)
Neal (MA)
Olver
Pallone
Pascrell
Payne
Polis (CO)
Price (NC)
Rahall
Rangel
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Sánchez, Linda T.
Schakowsky
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sherman
Sires
Slaughter
Stark
Thompson (MS)
Towns
Tsongas
Velázquez
Waters
Watson
Waxman
Wexler
Woolsey

Much to my surprise Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) voted "Aye". Jim Clyburn's "No" vote is so utterly non-shocking that it defies description.

Free stuff!

Huey found a link to a free 1 oz. trial bottle of WeaponsShield CLP

I looked it up online and if you were to buy this it would be $9.95 + shipping. You simply can't beat this deal.

A $9.95 value free for the asking! Click on the pic for the manufacturer's link.

Of course there's always a catch. George is hoping that after the first vial of this you'll want to buy more. I have yet to shoot with it on my weapons but I used it to clean and oil a couple of pistols to test and it seems like pretty good stuff. It has a more dense viscosity than normal military grade CLP.

Head on over to Huey's Gunsight for the oh-so-very-easy instructions. And while you're there, be sure to check out the rest of his blog.

A Walk Through iTunes history

TUAW has a link to a look at the beginnings of iTunes.
SoundJam is the app that Apple originally bought to turn into the multimedia/handheld software juggernaut we know today.





Eyetooth. Literally.

A 60-year-old woman blind for nine years has regained useful vision following a rare operation in Miami in which surgeons removed one of her teeth, drilled a hole in it, inserted a plastic lens into the hole and implanted the tooth-lens combination into her eye. It's the first such operation in the U.S., they said.

from The CO

What?!?

The Gormogons: Social Contractors

Quick: name a utopia that worked.
The Gormogons: Social Contractors

via Borepatch

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Win

Robb has another excellent illustration at http://blog.robballen.com


Weighing In

For the record: As a lifelong Southerner who somehow managed to grow up not a racist, I can say without any reservation whatsoever that Jimmy Carter is an idiot and an embarrassment to his former office, his country and the region most associated with him.

You, sir, may leave. Any time it suits you is fine.


Movie posters are better in Ghana

This cracked me up and disturbed me at the same time.

Apparently in Ghana in the 80s, entrepreneurial-minded guys would drive around from village to village with a VCR, projector, and generator and create a sort of mobile cinema.

In order to promote these showings, artists were hired to paint large posters of the films (usually on used canvas flour sacks). The artists were given the artistic freedom to paint the posters as they desired - often adding elements that weren’t in the actual films, or without even having seen the movies. When the posters were finished they were rolled up and taken on the road.

once again from the N(ever)SFW Filmdrunk.

Light posting today - but WTH happened to LGF?

I haven't regularly read LGF in years.

WTH happened to Charles Johnson?

I saw that there is some sort of brouhaha amongst some of these Big Time Blogger types so I went back for a visit.

Sad.

LGF was a gateway blog for me back in the day. It wouldn't shock me more to go read Lileks and see that he was now devoting his time to furries.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Longtime Charleston SC Mayor Dick Riley oversimplifies Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Longtime Charleston SC Mayor Dick Riley oversimplifies Mayors Against Illegal Guns:

"We're against illegal guns, so if anyone is opposed to our position, then they are in favor of illegal guns,"

from the Post & Courier

At least Columbia's Mayor Bob isn't running again. One less bigot on the roll.

RIP Patrick Swayze.

I saw this somewhere-

Overheard in heaven: "I thought you'd be bigger".

I'm a fan.

more Dark Arts for Good Guys

Matthew has posted more Dark Arts for Good Guys goodness over at Straight Forward in a Crooked World.

Monday, September 14, 2009

updating iPhone to 3.1. Total Monday Excitement

The highlight of my morning so far is the updating of my iPhone to v3.1. Woo. Hoo.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

I would have liked to have been in DC today.

JayG has lots of 9-12 goodness. I wish I could have been there.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Remember the 2996.

Remember the 2996.


from Linoge

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Lack of posts due not to laziness but authentic family medical issue

Regular posting to resume tomorrow as Major Family Medical Issue is mostly dealt with at this point.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Continuing the Journalist's Guide to Firearms Meme

Continuing the Citizens/Journalist's Guide to Firearms meme I am happy to pass along this slightly modified by Robb version :

Journalist's Guide to Firearms Identification

from Sharp as A Marble - original post Sebastian

Even more Gary Busey

"The Thinking Man's Nick Nolte". Or is Nick Nolte the thinking man's Gary Busey?

from FilmDrunk (Never Safe For Work or the easily offended)

The Gary Busy Facts

Jacktion!: Gary Busey goes commando when he rides a horse, and wears jockey shorts when he goes to war.

Crapbasket: Gary Busey chops down cherry trees just so he can lie about it.

Michelle07: Gary Busey makes guitar fingers whenever he talks about the Wild Fire.

Jacktion!: Gary Busey’s favorite food is macaroni necklaces and cheese.

Michelle07: Gary Busey sends emails on an electric typewriter. They all say, “Yahtzee!”

Crapbasket: Gary Busey thinks the Navy Seals are what keep water out of submarines.

Donkey Hodey: Gary Busey’s Easy-Bake oven has a self-destruct button.

Påüłÿ Ðąηgęrσűşľγ: Gary Busey throws glass houses at rocks.

Donkey Hodey: When Gary Busey hears a voice played back through an answering machine, he always says “Do I realy sound like that?”, even if it’s not him talking.

Jacktion!: Gary Busey convinced Huey Lewis not to call his band The Jews.

Crapbasket: Gary Busey’s baby ate a dingo.

Crapbasket: Gary Busey’s ringtone is him doing the entirety of Pink Floyd’s The Wall on the kazoo.

Moose: Gary Busey’s motto is: “Never put off today what you’ve already done tomorrow”.

Doing Everything Wrong: My Analysis of the events leading up to the blunt object connecting with my skull.

As requested, here’s my analysis of the night A Glock 27 Saved My Stupid Ass in 1996. I mentioned several times in the post that it is my sincere belief that I did everything wrong that I could have possibly done, and even one good choice would have prevented the assault on my cranium and subsequent bleeding. Let’s take a look at the long list of bad choices the 22 year old me made back then.

On a whim one night, I decided to walk down to work to see what the hike would be like and maybe catch up with a couple of friends. I had intentions of walking to and from job as parking in 5 Points is terrible in general and an epic fail if you have to work there.
I had worked in bars in 5 Points for 3 years at that point, witnessing many assaults and calling the police on aggressive homeless vagrant types several times myself. I did not think this out very well. I am walking around in Cooper’s Condition White - unaware, unprepared. Oblivious. I should have been paying attention.
I didn't find any of my friends, and after a couple of beers I hoofed it back up the hill that led to my house. Not a bad hike at all.
It’s late, dark, and I had at least 2 alcoholic beverages in an hour. All of this is fine tailgating for a football game, and might not be a particularly big deal in this case if I wasn’t by myself. Taking into account the history of violence in the area, I should have been in Condition Yellow if not Orange. (Being armed with something other than overconfidence would have been nice too. Practice that Krav Maga kids) I decided to walk home from an area somewhat notorious for aggressive panhandling and muggings. By myself. Guess who’s still in Condition White.

Brilliant.

Let’s examine all of these bad calls.

  • It’s late and dark - I should have called a cab or a roommate to make the short trip to pick me up.
  • I had 2 or more alcoholic beverages in an hour - alcohol ruins reaction times, promotes a false sense of well being, and impairs judgment. I should have had limited (or eliminated) my alcohol intake knowing that I was going to be walking home.

Almost to my street and displaying a tragic utter disregard for situational awareness, I was caught unawares by a shady looking dude on a BMX bike as he pulled up next to me and asked me if I had change for a twenty.
I displayed a total lack of situational awareness. My memory is too foggy for me to speculate what was running through my mind back then. Probably women or money or how the latter made the former more interested in me. I should have been checking my 6. Instead I get bushwhacked by a lightweight on a kids bike. I realized later at the hospital that if he had been armed with a gun he could have shot me in the back of the head and I never would have seen it coming. For years afterward I got cold sweats thinking about that.
His sudden appearance startled me so that instead of barking at him to stay back, I merely replied "Sorry dude, I've got no cash at all".
It starts getting uglier now. Since he’s already well inside my personal space, I should have immediately faced him, barked a healthy “Stay back!” and circled away until I could put some distance between us. That might have scared him off, or at least given me a few seconds to get into a fighting mindset.

If I had been paying any attention at all, things would likely have not even gotten to this point. But still unbeknownst to me, I was in it.
Instead of watching him take off in the other direction, I confidently crossed the intersection where he had stopped me and made my way up to the next street which was my own.
I all but opened the door for this guy and let him in. Hell, I’d hit me in the back of the head too with this much opportunity! This is what I mean about not making even one good decision (thank you alcohol). I did not choose to confront the bandit until it was already too late and he had and was using the advantages that I had gift-wrapped for him. I should have manned up earlier, or just ran the hell away.

  • I was lucky that he was a coward
  • I was lucky that I was close to home
  • I was lucky that he either did not have a knife or gun or simply did not chose to use one
  • I was lucky that I had left my pistol unsafely stored in my vehicle

I continue to be lucky by having a thick skull, but these days I make my own luck by being aware of my location, the nature of my surroundings and living in Condition Yellow (for the most part - I will admit to being vulnerable at tailgating parties and the pool).

Robert mentions in the comments from the original post -

“But you did do two things correctly. You didn't shoot when you didn't have a good shot, and you didn't shoot him in the back which probably would have caused you a lot of grief.”
He’s right - but these choices were made after the attack had already happened. By not taking a shot (or 10) at him as he ran I avoided lots of serious headaches later, but these choices didn’t change the fact that I was all bloody in my front yard.

Edit: I forgot a couple of links. James found the first one below in the comment(s). Thanks James.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Finished MHI

I finally finished MHI tonight. It's made of Win.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Big Boeing Blaster Blows Something Up (finally)

Laser make something go boom. Still no Blastech DL-44 for me yet.

According to Boeing and the US Air Force, that happened over the White Sands Missile Range on August 30th, when an C-130H aircraft equipped with the Advanced Tactical Laser (or ATL) locked on to an unspecified ground target and fired the 12,000lb high-power chemical laser to make the target disappear from the face of the Earth.

from Endgadget


More Gary Busey

Gary Busey. I can't get away from this guy this week. Behold the Gary Busey Fractal, complete with "I'm Your Worst Nightmare Butthorn".

from Filmdrunk (NSFW)

PSA #1 - Scareware goes Green

Oh how I hate "anitvirus" scareware. I must walk at least 1/month FUW (Friend Using Windows) through getting this kind of crap off of their PC...

Malicious pseudo-environmentalists have come up with a new social engineering tactic aiming to improve the profit margins of their fake antivirus software releases - by promising to donate $2 from every purchase for saving the Amazonian green forests.

The new scareware template branded as “Green-AV Premier Edition 3.0” is pitched as the “World’s First Antivirus Which Cares About the Environment” and goes for a hefty price of $99.99, in comparison to other scareware brands whose price tags vary from $49 to $79.

from Zero Day

Thursday, September 3, 2009

A Glock 27 saved my stupid ass in 1996.

After posting my glocklove comment over at his site, Huey asked me about how I once used a firearm to save my life.

I don't think my lifesaving story is too terribly compelling. It's chock full of dumbassery on my part. But here it is, warts and all. Cue the italics.

I was working as a bartender in Columbia, SC and had just moved to a dilapidated old house about 2 blocks up Devine Street (the main drive) from the 5 Points "entertainment district".

On a whim one night, I decided to walk down to work to see what the hike would be like and maybe catch up with a couple of friends. I had intentions of walking to and from job as parking in 5 Points is terrible in general and an epic fail if you have to work there. I understand that this has not changed.

So...I didn't find any of my friends, and after a couple of beers I hoofed it back up the hill that led to my house. Not a bad hike at all.

Almost to my street and displaying a tragic utter disregard for situational awareness, I was caught unawares by a shady looking dude on a BMX bike as he pulled up next to me and asked me if I had change for a twenty.

By shady, I mean all of 5'2 and 125 pounds with crazy hair, a surplus woodland camo jacket 3 sizes too big (this is June in Columbia, SC approximately 112 degrees at 10:30PM) and, of course, sunglasses. At night.

His sudden appearance startled me so that instead of barking at him to stay back, I merely replied "Sorry dude, I've got no cash at all". The truth. And the standard response to the multitude of 5 Points panhandlers.

Here's where I made my 2nd (or 3rd, but there's so many) mistake: Instead of watching him take off in the other direction, I confidently crossed the intersection where he had stopped me and made my way up to the next street which was my own.

As I reached the next corner, I stopped and did (what I now know is) a "Crazy Ivan" to see if he was following me. He had made it about halfway to where I was, stopped his bike and was merely looking at me. Instead of telling him to move along, piss off or get lost (4th mistake) - I decided that I'd be better off confronting him closer to home (soooo young and dumb -at least the 5th mistake if you're counting).

I had my car keys in my pocket and my car was parked about 100 yards away on the right hand side of the street, facing away from me with the drivers side door closest to me. I knew that somewhat unsafely stowed under the drivers seat of my car was my loaded Glock 27.

Foolish young Brian takes a left and walks a bit faster (how many mistakes was that?)...off of the well lit main road and down the poorly lit side street, thinking about the motions that he will have to use to get the car door open. Hands on keys...fingers on car key...take the keys out and put them in the door...open door, leave keys in door and reach for the pistol.

That is what I was thinking when I should have been chasing this guy off.

About halfway there I turn around over my right shoulder to see if he's still following me and WHACK, I'm on my hands and knees in the middle of the street. He's hit me with something, but I have a very large, very hard head and I am not unconscious, but dazed and bleeding profusely. So naturally I begin cussing him.

I cuss him as I get to my feet. I cuss him as I stagger towards my car. I cuss him as I scrape my key up and down the side of the door, trying to get the door unlocked.

He's riding around me in circles, looking around to see if anyone has heard me.

I get the door open (still cussing him) and fall on my knees to dig under the seat for my unsafely stored (in battery too - ugh -sorry SC law) Glock.

I found it and pointed it at him weak handed, but he saw the gun and was already hauling ass back up towards where he hit me (with a @#$% brick, we found out later).

I tried to get a bead on him with the intention of shooting him in the back as he rode away, but fortunately for him I couldn't get a good sight picture due in part to my double vision from the blunt force trauma to my skull.

Rule 4 saved that guys life that night.

That's it really. All of that probably took a minute and a half.

I stuck the Glock in my waistband and staggered up to the porch where I freaked out one of my roommates who was reading a book on the couch by sticking my bleeding head through the front door and asking for some help. She and my other roommates' boyfriend took me to the hospital where they stapled me up. No painkillers because I had those beers earlier. Ouch.

The police never caught the guy. We moved out of the house a couple of months later after getting robbed.

That was 13 years ago this summer. I was very, oh-so-very stupid and very lucky.

I'll never sell that Glock.

Added: I'd like to point out that I did not do even 1 thing correctly as these events transpired. If I had made even 1 better decision this would have never happened. I'll post a list later - I've been uncommonly prolific today.

Criminals getting smarter

Smash & grab at NJ Apple store - in and out in a little more than 30 seconds with 23 MacBook Pro laptops, 14 iPhones and 9 iPod touch handhelds.







$40K+ worth of AppleStuff probably net $10K on the street. I'd watch the Apple store online and ebay to find someone buying a lot of power supplies and charging cables.

from TUAW

Nebraska has reciprocity with North Carolina too

Just in from the GRNC: NE CCW reciprocity with NC.


GRNC Update 09-03-09:
NC Permit Now Good in Nebraska

RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH NEBRASKA

http://www.ago.state.ne.us/media/Recognition_of_State_Concealed_Handgun_Permits.pdf

On August 31, 2009 Attorney General Jon Bruning of Nebraska issued a memorandum to Colonel Bryan Tuma of the Nebraska State Patrol, informing him that they had completed their review of the fifty states and the District of Columbia and included a list of the states with which Nebraska had reached concealed handgun reciprocity agreements with. North Carolina is now among that number.

The benefits of the concealed handgun reciprocity law engineered by GRNC which passed into law in 2003 continue to accrue even now. The work done by fine members of the General Assembly such as Rep. MARK HILTON who was the primary sponsor and those of you who didn't let their representatives of your support goes rewarded.


Nice.

Want list

The ever-enjoyable JayG posted his revised want list today and asked his readers what their list looks like. I commented that all I really wanted was a P3AT or LCP.

Upon further reflection I have decided that was a lame comment. I have created a list of pistols and rifles that I could conceivably afford at some point in the far, distant future.

Brian's Want List:

Pistols:

  • Kel-tec P3AT or Ruger LCP (alternative hot weather carry pistol)
  • Glock 23 (2nd .40 Glock - already have many G22 magazines)
  • Glock 17C barrel & slide assembly (to finish off the "Some Day I Will Compete" Pistol)
  • Glock 34 (a new "Some Day I Will Compete" pistol and 2nd 9mm - plenty of mags already)
  • Para CCO or CCW (or any of their LDA single stack pistols really for my second .45 1911. Again - lots of mags)
  • S&W M686 plus 4" .357 Magnum
  • S&W 325 .45ACP
  • Ruger Mk III

Longarms:

  • Mosin Nagant 91 - just to have one
  • M1 Garand - to replace "The Loaner"
  • M1903 Springfield
  • M1917 Enfield
  • M1 Carbine
  • Springfield Armory M1A (this would likely cure me of my .308 desire - better start saving now) or instead some sort of reasonably priced AR10 or FAL
  • Remington 700 .30-06 (I have a lot of old .30-06 stashed)
  • Remington 700 .308 (rounding out my SurvivalBlog inspired cache)
  • DDXV Daniel Defense Carbine or even a gas-piston AR type as a backup EBR
Shotguns:
  • Remington 870 Marine Magnum (backup for my 870)
  • Remington 870 Combo (for deer, birds, clays etc)
And while I am wishing, I'd love a big, big box of spare parts, magazines/speedloaders and ammo for all of the guns I already own.


Glock

Huey's got a great love letter to Gaston Glock's love it or hate it (me=love) polymer and steel implement of self defense. His comments on the Manual of Arms:

"Due to the internal safeties system on their pistols, the manual of arms to operate a Glock is fairly straight forwards. Learning it on one pistol pretty much ensures that it is learned on others in the series. Being a striker fired pistol their is no second strike capability on a bad primer hit, so the tap-rack-bang drill is very important to be learned with Glocks, but this also applies to any semi-auto pistol as well."

That's just one of the reasons that my primary carry gun is a G27 and my "Some Day I Will Compete" Pistol is a G17.

Great post.

Must be getting better at this...

I must be doing something better here as of late as my comment count is up around double digits!

Heh.

Actually I'll take quality over quantity any day of the week. The people who I read daily (and comment like a lurker - meaning not nearly enough) are actually finding their way back here.

Coolness.

So thanks Tam, Sebastian & Bitter, Uncle, Borepatch, James, Dixie, Kevin and last but not least - Kathy

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

This is what we have to deal with

Here's my email to Bob Behanian at WMBF who wrote this a couple of weeks ago. (Hey-I've been on vacation alright?)

Mr. Behanian - I write in reference to your article "Criminals travel to SC to buy guns" - http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=10861386

This is a particularly good example of bad reporting. Did you actually air this?

I ask because the only number you site is "5th" from the Brady campaign report from last month. Who are all of these "Criminals (who) travel to SC to buy guns". Do you have a specific example of any criminal purchasing a firearm (any firearm) legally in SC and then committing a crime? Are you aware that criminals also purchase knives and baseball bats and may use those to commit crimes in SC too?

If you're going to just use generalizations, why not say something like "Criminals commit crimes with weapons from a variety of sources" which is nearly as lame as the teaser-friendly "Guns are falling into the hands of those who shouldn't have them."

Who are the "some" who "argue South Carolina's laws aren't strict enough"? The Brady Campaign? You can do better than this.

Thank you.

Brian
anothergunguy@gmail.com
http://anothergunguy.blogspot.com/
twitter @another_gun_guy



Gary Busey is BULLETPROOF

Gary Busey jumping down from the rafters shouting, “I’m your worst nightmare, butthorn!”

The best 4 minutes on teh internets today.

SC Rep Spratt (D) to actually meet with constituents on ObamaCare.

SC Rep John Spratt (D) to actually meet with constituents on ObamaCare in Sumter today and Rock Hill tomorrow. I am so glad they provided all of the advance notice so constituents could make arrangements to be there.

The York native plans to discuss the health care plans, then take questions. Attendees will be asked to write any questions on a slip of paper at the door and put them in a box that matches their position, whether they're for, against or undecided. A moderator will draw names.

from the Observer

Catching MacThieves

Here's a tale detailing the process of using Back To My Mac to catch the thief who swiped your Mac.

"...the victim used his replacement MacBook Pro to screen share with the stolen device, and even watch as someone filled out an online form to find a job, displaying an address, social security number and phone number."

Dumbass thief took a pic of himself with the iSight too and left it on the desktop.

from TUAW

Destro and the Barroness playing on their clarinets...

from the Monster Hunter Nation:


Tam hits 2M. Uncle turns 7.

Congratulations to Tam on 2 Million hits. Uncle's been blogging for 7 years. I am a fan.

Attention AGG Readers

Borepatch and and JayG are asking their significantly larger reader base to vote for their significantly clever-er MHI patch. The Atomic Nerds pimped their patch on Gun Nuts Radio last night. Linoge has an Eastern TN patch as well and is looking for votes.

This does note bode well for my lousy patch.

Shared via AddThis

I can now legally carry a concealed weapon in Nebraska

From Joe Huffman's View From North Central Idaho I learned this morning that Nebraska now has reciprocity with South Carolina. I share his sentiment below:

"I don't think I have ever been in Nebraska and I don't have any plans to visit in the foreseeable future but if I did I could carry when I went there. I'll sleep a little better tonight. Not so much because I can now carry in Nebraska but because thousands of other people can and will. That makes them a little bit safer and the anti-gun bigots a little bit more demoralized."

I am disappointed to note that according to SLED:

As of September 12, 2008, states with which South Carolina has reciprocity are:

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Reciprocity with SC is not a 2-way street though. I'd love to see Georgia and West-by-God Virginia on this list someday.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

NC Dem Senator Soles shoots intruder

I found "NC Senator shoots intruder" buried in my massive, massive backlog of Uncle posts that I missed over my vacation.

A North Carolina attorney representing state Sen. R.C. Soles said his client acted in self-defense when he shot an intruder at his home.

Attorney Joe Cheshire said Monday that Soles used a pistol to shoot the 22-year-old at his home and the incident was recorded by security cameras on the senator's property.

Authorities say Soles shot Kyle Blackburn Sunday night when he and another man tried to kick in the door of Soles' secluded home. Nobody has been charged.

Blackburn was listed Monday in fair condition at a South Carolina hospital.

Soles has had a series of confrontations with former law clients in the past two years. He called for help from local police at least nine times to ward off men who were charged with trespassing.

Soles is a Democrat Senator representing Brunswick, Columbus, and Pender Counties "Down East" (as they say). The shooting is just one of all sorts of incidents connected to the Senator. At first glance this would appear to be a clean shoot - we'll have to wait and see.

How Twilight Should Have Ended

I haven't read any of the Twilight books or seen the movie. I have no intention of ever doing so. Most of my attempts to avoid anything Twilight related have been thwarted by relatives and neighbors, to whom I present this:

How Twilight Should Have Ended

Monster Hunters International


My short-awaited signed, autographed copy of MHI and kick-ass patch arrived while I was on the vacay. Looks like Jay G got his copy as well. "Squeee!!!"

I am halfway through the book - up late last night reading instead of blogging.

It is so refreshing to read another fiction author who accurately describes firearms and their use. It's even better that Larry Correia writes great characters that talk like real people too.

I managed to squeak in under the deadline for the patch contest with this remarkably lame offering. Not bad for 15 minutes in Photoshop, but it is not some of my better work. I am still deciding whether to vote for myself or not. Hopefully there will be another contest for the next sequel to MHI and I can come up with something better.


Trying to get caught up with work and blogroll readings

So much has been going on in my absence. Fear not faithful reader. Normal posting to resume today. Only 74 articles to go on the reader.