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I went away on a trip for a weekend and the country’s gone to hell again. Sheesh, can I not leave you people alone for two minutes???
Confisc…. I mean “buybacks” are in the news again. These political mental giants are the very illustration of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Rushing to “do something” – or to be at least SEEN to be “doing something” – is the order of the day every time a tragedy happens. It doesn’t apparently matter if the “something” is effective, Constitutional, or even enforceable. It’s the “doing” that matters – so that everyone can pat themselves on the back, feel better about themselves, and go back to business as usual.
Too bad for the poor schmucks whose Constitutional rights have been trampled in the process – whether via 2A violations, or 5A and 14A “Due Process” violations. I’m looking at YOU, red flag laws. But shame on me confusing the issue with logic when people are busy having “Feelings”.
Obviously none of these people has looked at the compliance data on the New York SAFE Act “assault weapon” registration scheme that was rushed through after Sandy Hook. Can we say “single digits”? You could almost say that the single “digit” was a middle finger from otherwise lawful gun owners to the New York State government. Biden, the sudden tough-guy talking “buybacks”, would do well to take a lesson from history.
I have not heard a single “new” idea coming from a single politician when it comes to reacting to the latest mass shootings. They might as well push a button and play a recording. Second verse same as the first. It’s almost as bad as every war in Europe for the past several centuries. When in doubt – invade France. Except for these guys it’s when in doubt – call for gun control.
Has anyone introduced a law banning news agencies from trumpeting the name and photo and manifestos of these scumbags? Nope – because 1A. Never mind that this does everything to ensure the next mass shooter seeks similar attention. God Forbid that news agencies “do something” like this voluntarily, despite the fact that there is evidence to back it up.
Nope. It’s GUNZ – inanimate objects with no sentience or agency of their own. Why? Because as is my constant refrain, it is much easier to demonize an object than it is to modify human behavior. Except what needs to be changed IS human behavior. Did we have these copycat shootings before the advent of the internet and 24 hour news cycle? Not many. Read the linked article about the news and human behavior above.
It’s funny that we always get these finger waggling nannies who say “Now, now, don’t be so dramatic, no one wants to take your guns”. Except what is every idiot calling for? “Buybacks”, banning, and confiscation. That sounds an awful lot like “taking my guns” to me there, Skippy.
Does anybody care that NHTSA stats say that 30 people die in drunk driving accidents on a DAILY basis? Nope. Does anybody care that scores of people are shot in criminal activity in Chicago every weekend? Nope. Because logic doesn’t enter into it. It’s the public freak-out of the moment, and politicians seek to capitalize on that emotion by rushing bad ideas through the legislative process in the middle of the night before anyone has time to calm down and consider anything rationally. How do you think the NY SAFE Act got passed in the first place? So effective that, with its 4% compliance rate.
I’m not saying that public mass shootings aren’t tragic. They certainly are, and the pond scum that perpetrate them deserve to have their names erased from the book of humanity. But for all of the public spectacle and grief, they are still RARE. None other than Neil deGrasse Tyson pointed this out in a chart on social media, and was apparently crucified for it. When the public is hopped up on borrowed emotion – feeling all righteous and outraged on someone else’s behalf – trying to insert logic into the mix can produce a violent blow-back. Never interfere with someone else’s righteous indignation, lest they turn it upon YOU instead.
There are some who are even trying to hang the latest shootings on Trump – because he weighs as much as a duck apparently, and floats like very small stones. (Monty Python reference for those who are scratching their heads).
THAT is the level of critical thinking involved here. But unlike Monty Python’s witch hunt, it isn’t funny. When emotions run the world instead of logic and reason, it is in fact very, VERY dangerous.
I’d like to pose a question to the experts on this topic: Is there a gun-control measure that could mitigate the risk of mass shootings in public venues, such as the one that occurred at the Gilroy Garlic Festival?
Whenever society is besieged by important problems, it turns to experts for insight. In this context, rank-and-file police and boots-on-the-ground infantry veterans are the experts—not chiefs, sheriffs or generals.
Mass shootings, particularly those occurring in public places, are currently the driving force for gun control. (School shootings are important but are a subset of all mass murders, even though they occur in nominally secured buildings.)
The Gilroy incident is an excellent case study. This public access venue was as well controlled as could be for such gatherings. The “gun-free zone” was secured by a chain-link fence and attendees were screened for weapons via controlled access. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old perpetrator bypassed the controls. Similarly, the Mandalay Bay shooter overshot the concert’s barriers from a high-ground position. What could conceivably be done to reduce mass shootings in such public venues? Most additional interventions for preventing either kind of attack would make the events undoable.
Further securing the perimeter is impractical. Whether there are 100 or 10,000 attendees, attackers can skirt or evade perimeter barriers like at Gilroy and Mandalay Bay.
Reducing the number of guns to prevent bad guys obtaining them would be impossible. There are 400 million guns in America. Suppose half are suitable for mass killing—that’s 200 million. Suppose the total was reduced by 95%? (Which is impossible, given the 95% plus non-compliance with recent orders to turn in outlawed firearms.) A crazy killer would still be able get access to one of them somewhere, all that he needs. If he couldn’t buy an outlawed or diverted commercial firearm, ones will be available that are fabricated in a cottage machine shop or smuggled from abroad.
Could we shut down cottage machine shops? Stop smuggling? Clearly, we’ve been ineffective in shutting down meth labs or stopping drug smuggling. We couldn’t do any better with guns.
Bear in mind that mass shooters, gang killings and suicides are vastly different in character. An argument can be made for saving a few lives in a population of 10,000 gang bangers by reducing their gun inventories from 9,000 to 8,000. However, no such case seems plausible for a population of 10 deeply disturbed mass killers who plan and prepare for their attacks for months. How do we find any of those 10? How do we disarm them or keep them from accessing the black market?
America has suffered relatively few mass public venue shootings, from unbalanced people with a variety of motives (and some with no explicable one). Who are the greatest threats? What if other kinds of threats change the whole battlefield?
America was asleep at the wheel with respect to the prospect of an attack by Japan before World War II. How about today? Could an unexpected attack come from some other Asian, Middle Eastern, African or Latin American country?
If Americans are concerned about the minuscule risk of being shot in a public venue by a domestic mass killer, then we should also be concerned by the potential for such an attack by foreign-influenced terrorists again. How could gun control possibly reduce this risk?
Positioning sufficient security personnel wherever they might be needed could help. But can American taxpayers afford a cop in every public venue? How many officers or armed guard would be needed to cover each place, not to mention metal detectors?
Gilroy and Mandalay Bay are cases in point. Both venues were adequately covered by police bearing handguns. Gilroy officers were close enough to run to the sound of gunfire and stop the attack within a minute. Their bravery and preparedness are to be applauded. Las Vegas officers were too far away from the shooter’s high ground position even to attempt to return fire with handguns.
It was purely a coincidence that police were in Mandalay Bay offices on other business and could reach the shooter’s position within minutes. Yet that shooter was still free to fire at will for 10 minutes until distracted by an unarmed hotel security guard approaching his door. Arguably, the Las Vegas Police failed to anticipate the potential for a high ground shooter. After all, the only comparable historical incident occurred half a century earlier in 1966, from the Clock Tower at the University of Texas-Austin.
The challenges described here are well beyond the ordinary attention of the American voter. Nevertheless, there is an audience qualified to advise: American law-enforcement officers and combat veterans. They understand mass shootings.
Cycle through the usual gun-control solutions: universal background checks, magazine capacity limits, semi-auto rifle restrictions, registration . . . Would any of these change the number of psychopaths determined to kill people at a public venue? Would any of these have the slightest effect on a foreign-influenced attacker?
Law enforcement experts and combat veterans could offer realistic, if ultimately limited, answers. Would enough police equipped with rifles in public venues stop or dissuade attackers? How much of the deterrent lies in knowing there are trained, official marksmen on duty, versus knowing that well armed citizens are on site?
I was prompted to think about this question at my village’s summer Gay Pride parade. A dozen cops clustered at the major choke point of the parade route to separate eight anti-Pride protesters from parade marchers and watchers. These cops could readily respond to ground fire with their handguns, but would be challenged if a shooter took a perch from a rooftop or a second-story window. I asked one why they didn’t have rifles. He responded hinting that their rifles were present but out-of-sight.
Did we learn anything from the UT-Austin Clock Tower shooting? In that now ancient case, students deployed rifles from their pickups parked on campus, and returned suppressing fire until a civilian and three police officers scaled the tower and killed the shooter. The outcome of that attack demonstrated how important armed citizens are at any venue.
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—‘MarkPA’ is trained in economics, a life-long gun owner, NRA Instructor and Massad Ayoob graduate. He is inspired by our inalienable rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and holds that having the means to defend oneself and one’s community is vital to securing them.
If you are unaware of the mountain of procedure the US Military has to go through for… well… anything, I wish to direct your attention to TC 3-20.40. The 826 page document is all about the new and improved individual weapons qualifications for the U.S. Army.
Yes, nearly 1,000 pages to summarize how to qualify on the various individual and crew served weapons soldiers will use. It gives everyone from commanders down to individual soldiers what they need to be doing in order to qualify, including expected time to complete per soldier(s).
There’s a mountain of information packed into this document but I want to highlight something that Appendix E brings out, and I am thanking heaven above and anyone else who apparently listened because the old Army rifle qualification procedure, combined with the rest of the bureaucratic insanity, was a shit show.
Ye Olde Army Qualification
The military likes to pretend that every soldier and Marine is a shooter. They aren’t, the military apparatus doesn’t spend nearly enough time on small arms handling for proficiency. Combined arms, infantry, SF, and units expected to actually get into shooting situations are usually better off, but the rest of the “every soldier is a soldier first” and “every Marine a rifleman” gets left behind.
Bureaucracy at its finest.
The old start to finish annual rifle qualification for those “left behind” units consisted of… 98 rounds. 98 rounds to train and retrain soldiers in order to effectively engage targets 50-300 meters distance. For anyone who shoots regularly, at those distances and these standards, passing this qualification was easy.
It also gave those soldiers no training value. None. And if you didn’t qualify, oh well.
Here was the breakdown.
Zero
18 rounds of the 98 was slated to zero your service rifle. Not train. Zero. 6 iterations to achieve a useable 25m/300m zero that was good enough, hopefully, and off to the qualification range the soldier went.
Qual.
Qual or Qualification is 40 rounds of whack-a-mole with green pop-up targets. Minimal direction is given and in my observation even the three shooting positions (prone supported, prone unsupported, and kneeling) were not really adhered to. It was just get the minimum number of hits to mark your check in the box as “qualified” and get off the range.
In “theory” there is supposed to be a practice (pre-qualification) 40 rounds and then a qualification 40 rounds. In working effort shooters who would qualify first time around would just shoot and then the leftover ammo would be used to give the failing shooters another crack at whack-a-mole in hopes that they passed.
It was a shit show.
No training value. No assistance for soldiers who could not hit targets even 10 times out of 40. No emphasis on the importance of marksmanship or that this is a life saving combat oriented skill set. THE lifesaving combat oriented skill set. Just a talk with someone who passed the qualification and try again…
New Army Qualification! More Rounds! More Trainable Content!
The new qualification course has changed several things, and oh do I like them. Combined with a proper bit of training in dry-fire prep this will turn the qualification into an exercise that has value to soldiers, especially those who are struggling now by being under trained. These soldiers previously had little-to-no recourse to develop their skill set.
They cannot take extra ammunition and go train independently. Reserve and guard soldiers were twice up the creek, no paddle in sight. They couldn’t even jump into another qualification happening at the minimum time frame.
New Target, A8
The first phase that is dramatically different from the older methods is on the 25 meter zero range. New targets.
A8 rifle zeroing target
Zeroing is NOT a threat engagement training exercise. It is for setting up a fully functional rifle.
The new target (A8) helps with this fact and provides an aiming point to zero the sight(s) properly to the 4 MOA goal, 6 MOA minimum that does not leave it subjective to the soldier to pick their “hold” on the silhouette. It wasn’t on the old targets either but soldiers treated it as such and it was poorly designed to focus the eye.
Here’s new the layout – The target’s center diamond box is the point of aim. It is 4 MOA (Minute of Angle) tall and 4 MOA wide. The perforated inner ring is a true 4 MOA, the perforated outer ring is 6 MOA. All shots after zeroing must be within the 6 MOA ring, preferably within the 4 MOA ring.
The boxes are each 1 MOA at 25 meters. This means all of the military optics that use MOA adjustments (the majority, and all for service rifles currently) can adjust off this target. It does not matter what rifle is used and a guide for common optic systems is on the target for adjustments.
Grouping and Zeroing
The old standard for zeroing was 3 round groups. The new standard is 5 round groups. The 5 round group is far more indicative of both the point of aim the soldier is using and how well the soldier is shooting through dispersion. The goal is 4 MOA or less. It can be easy, even with poor form to get a false reading for accuracy and point of aim off of a 3 round group.
9-Hole tells us why 3 rounds sucks.
Grouping
After the period of instruction on proper marksmanship fundamentals, which is largely unaltered, the first live fire exercise isn’t zeroing. The first live fire exercise is grouping.
Grouping is 3 strings of 5 rounds, for a total of 15 rounds, fired by the soldier with the primary sighting system or iron sights to establish that the weapon and the soldier can shoot to standards. 4 MOA grouping or under is the goal, with the 6 MOA minimum. The 5 shot string will be fired center point of aim, however the sights or optic will NOT be adjusted during this time. 4 of the 5 rounds must be under the dispersion standard.
Grouping was entirely absent from previous qualification iterations, at least in practice, and its failure to be included did a great disservice to the soldiers who were struggling. As a consequence soldiers consistency was never observed. It is impossible to track errors on the pop-up range because the target systems are hit/miss and will not indicate where a miss occured.
These first 15 rounds allow coaches to assist soldiers who are struggling with consistency, remember fundamentals, and not be as affected by information overload. IO normally shuts struggling soldiers down from learning what their service rifle is trying to tell them because each time they shoot so many things would happen and they are being pressed through the grinder just to get done with the day.
The first 15 rounds, those 3 strings of fire, are just focusing on fundamental shooting and grouping. This at a distance where coaches can make corrections and recommendations for remediation early and on targets that will visually show the information they need.
These 15 rounds will provide a much needed benefit to the soldiers who struggle most and were completely left behind on the old system.
Zeroing
Zeroing will follow the same 3 string 15 round procedure as grouping. This will bring the rounds fired total to 30 so far. Primary optics will be adjusted during this time period. If iron sights are to be used or have not been zeroed the same procedure can be used to zero the iron sights. If both iron sights and optics are used the total fired rounds so far will be 60.
Red dot optics (CCO) that can be co-witnessed can be zeroed first and then the iron sights (BUIS) zeroed after. With an ACOG (M150 RCO) the iron sights must be zeroed first and then the ACOG properly installed before zeroing, there is no co-witness with magnified optics.
This covers six “engagements” so far. 1,2, and 3 are the grouping strings of fire, 4, 5, and 6 are the zeroing of the optical system(s). Repeated if the soldier zeroes more than one optical system (IE: Backup Iron Sights/BUIS & CCO).
Engagement 7 is confirmation at distance. Soldiers will fire 5 rounds at a 300 meter target and achieve 4/5 hits to confirm their rifle is zeroed and they can fundamentally hit at the required distance.
Engagement 8 will be 5 hits on a 100 meter target and 5 hits on a 200 meter target. This is known as the application of hold offs.
Why the middle distance targets?
The trajectory of a 25/300m is very steep, so at ranges of 100 and 200 meters the bullet is well above the line of sight/point of aim through the optic.
Illustrated here, 25m/300m zero. Image credit I sadly cannot remember but I pulled it from the interwebz, not mine.
As seen on the target here the 100, 150, and 200 meter shots are much higher than the point of aim. It’s for this reason I do not like the 25/300 zero, but it is the US Army standard.
Engagement 8 is passed with 4/5 hits at 100 meters and 4/5 hits at 200 meters. Soldiers will aim low on the exposed targets to offset the high part of the trajectory arc. For both engagement 7 and 8 it will be singular targets that fall when hit and then reappear, the target will not randomize. At this point the soldier is still confirming zero and fundamentals.
At the completion of engagement 8 the soldiers will have fired 45 or 75 rounds (two optic systems) minimum compared to the 18 rounds of the old system. More trigger presses equal more practice. This new zeroing procedure will allow for a higher percentage of qualified soldiers by virtue of an over 100% increase on fundamental repetitions in a controlled and trackable environment.
Practice
The practice phase should be conducted, according to TC 3-20.40, but due to time limitations it may be skipped.
Personally I believe it should be allowed for, especially as the qualification has altered significantly from the old standard. The live round count is still 40, but position shooting, starting position, and target sequence are all altered.
What’s different?
Instead of 20, 10, and 10 for the firing sequence the new standard uses a 4×10 format with timed position changes and magazine changes. There is also a soft stoppage clearance with a dummy round in one of the magazines. The dummy (or empty case) must be somewhere in the middle of the magazine and not the first or last round, this forces the soldier to clear during target engagement and assesses proper technique under time.
Barrier use will also now be part of the qualification. They will be used in the supported kneeling and supported standing strings. Benefit to the soldiers include greater use of support and more realistic use of barrier cover and support to engage targets at distance.
Sequence of Fire, Practice
Soldiers will start standing.
Loading a 10 round magazine and waiting for the first target. Once the sequence is started, it is on, there will be no stopping until all 40 rounds are expended. One round per target. Targets should be engaged near to far if more than one target is exposed.
The first target will pop up at 50 meters. The soldier will engage the close threat standing and then drop to prone, unsupported. This simulates a close contact engagement and reaction.
First target will expose for 3 seconds, there will be a 5 second period for prone transition, and then the remaining 9 targets will expose in sequence. There will be 2 more single target exposures, one at 100m and one at 150m. The next will be a 3 target exposure at 50m, 150m and 200m. Soldiers should remember there are two 50m targets, one left and one right. The final will be a 4 target exposure at 150m, 200m, 250m, and 300m.
Soldiers move to a prone supported position using available aids, like sandbags. 8 seconds are allowed for this transition. Soldiers will reload their weapon during transition. Prone supported target exposure will start at 100m. Then 150m and 300m, 200m and 300m, 250m and 300m, and finally 150m, 250m, and 300m.
Soldiers move to kneeling supported using the barrier. 8 seconds are allowed for the this transition. Soldier will reload their weapon during transition. Kneeling supported targets will expose at 50m, 100m, and 200m to start. Then 50m and 200m, 150m and 250m, and 100m, 150m, and 200m.
Soldiers move to standing supported position, still using the barrier. 8 seconds are allowed for this transition. Soldiers will reload their weapon during the transition. Standing supported target exposure will be at 50m and 100m to begin. Then 200m and 250m, 50m, 100m, and 150m, and finally 100m, 200m, and 250m.
Sequence Training Value
The whole drill will take 3 minutes and 10 seconds (3:10). During that time the soldier will fire 18 engagements on 40 total targets (one round per target), perform 4 position transitions under time, perform 3 emergency reloads under time, and clear one induced soft malfunction placed somewhere in the 4 magazines at a random interval.
Passing the event is considered 28/40 targets hit. The practice is not an event required to be passed, it should be an individual goal to clear it with as many hits as possible. It is not an overly demanding course compared to other drills, but it is a long sequence and given heat, fatigue, and other draining factors it can still be a challenge.
Completing the practice and passing the standards indicates the soldier (or any shooter doing so) can proficiently engage targets within the effective range of their rifle, reload the rifle on empty, fire from different positions, and clear a soft stoppage.
They are “qualified” to a minimum standard. Soldiers and all rifle shooters who can should aspire to shoot this cleanly 40/40.
Qualification
I will go through some of the details. As with previous iterations of the qualification the nightfire and CBRN portions can be completed on a simulator. I will not be covering those portions in detail but they are altered (CBRN is done standing, unsupported) and accuracy standards are higher (70% to pass).
The minimum score to qualify is 23/40 with live fire.
Sequence of Fire, Qualification
In short it’s the same sequence as the practice, 4×10. Two factors are made easier, the total time limit is now 3:58 not 3:10. Target exposures will be longer and the time to transition positions is now 10 seconds, not 8. Finally, there will not be a deliberate stoppage induced for the qualification. It is a straight 40 rounds.
If you can clear the Practice, the Qualification should be no problem. The Practice is specifically designed above minimum standards.
Validation
Sometimes referred to as the 25 Meter Qual, the Validation is not a true rifle qualification. It can be used officially to extend an existing on record qualification by 6 months.
As an unofficial tool it is easier to facilitate this training than using the 300 meter range. It can also very easily be done by any individual on their own who wants to train to the Army standard but has more limited and non-automated facilities.
ALT-C Target used for the Validation course of fire.
Those shooting the Validation will also need a barrier.
Sequence of Fire, Validation
The Validation is an 82 round (80 live, 2 dummy) exercise completed in two phases. Whether you pause between may be left up to you, the individual, or the unit SOP, but if completed in unbroken sequence it will require 7 minutes and 24 seconds (7:24).
The soldier/shooter will have 8 magazines. The 2nd magazine (first reload) and 6th magazine should also each have a dummy round in their load of 10, in order to induce a stoppage.
Slow Fire
Soldier/Shooter will be given a 10 second phase to make ready and go prone, unsupported. They will engage each silhouette with 1 round in a 1 minute time limit.
10 second transition and reload to prone, supported. Engage each silhouette with 1 round in 1 minute. Stoppage will be in this magazine and must be cleared correctly.
10 second transition and reload to kneeling, supported. Using the barrier as support, engage each silhouette with 1 round in 1 minute.
10 second transition and reload to standing, supported. Using the barrier as support, engage each silhouette with 1 round in 1 minute.
Standards to pass is 75%, 3/4 hits on each silhouette.
Intermediate Fire
A 10 second transition takes place between the Slow Fire and the Intermediate Fire phases. If logistics do not allow for an 8 magazine loadout use this period to pause and reset for Intermediate Fire. I recommend using a 6 second load and make ready phase once the soldier/shooter is prepped. NOTE: That time suggestion is not part of the TC course of fire, just a logistic recommendation.
During this transition the soldier/shooter reloads and goes from the standing position, how they ended the Slow Fire phase, to the prone, unsupported. Soldier/Shooter will engage each silhouette with 1 round in a 30 second time limit.
6 second transition and reload to prone, supported. Engage each silhouette with 1 round in 30 seconds. There will be a stoppage to clear in this magazine, if the loadout was done correctly and in order.
6 second transition and reload to kneeling, supported. Using the barrier as support, engage each silhouette with 1 round in 30 seconds.
6 second transition and reload to standing, supported. Using the barrier as support, engage each silhouette with 1 round in 30 seconds.
Standard to pass is 75%, 3/4 on each silhouette.
What does the new standard mean?
If you’re among the sadly small percentage of the population that has taken an intermediate or advanced rifle course on your own time/dime or an agencies’ time/dime you can recognize the standards here are not overly difficult. However that percentage is the result of those courses difficult buy in, not just the cost but the independent time requirement. Not going to a course because you cannot go to one, or do not want to go to one are understandable sentiments. I believe these are the wrong sentiments though, especially for those who want to improve themselves as shooters.
The new standard does mark several doctrinal improvements over the old standards that will aid soldiers in making those standards and make the rifle qualification count for a little more than it did. The Validation and Qualification are actually pretty good standards drills on their own, if your range can support them logistically.
Many things that were lacking as standards to train toward are incorporated. Reloads, position transitions, stoppage clearance, and target transitions all receive an emphasis. Zeroing and grouping are also given independent time and emphasis in a segment that can be used to aid soldiers who struggle, the execution phase of the grouping and zeroing better allows for this.
Expediting those phases for soldiers who do not need the help is also still possible. To push soldiers into the practice or qualification portions as they have other duties to complete is the nature of military life, the different sections can be accounted for and utilized to best effect.
In short. Firing the new 155 round standard that includes grouping, BUIS zero, optic zero, practice, and qualification, effectively doubles the repetitions soldiers will get on fundamental tasks to operating their service rifles. This is good. The addition of emergency reloads and position transitions under time are skills that were never emphasized in the old standards, now they are. This is excellent.
I hate the phrase “train how you fight” for the crock of crap it is in practical everyday practice for the military. However, this new qualification is proof someone somewhere in training is paying attention and has finally gotten a practical modernized standard through.
A few of Dragonmans' machineguns that greet you in the store
This past July I took a road trip to Wyoming and Colorado to shoot a couple of pistol matches and to The Rockies. One of the stops was in Colorado Springs to see the USAF Academy and other places in the area. There are many things to explore in the area from the mountains to the small towns. Outside of town is Dragonman Gun Shop/Range and is a must see for shooters.
The man, the myth, the legend; Dragonman Mel Bernstein as he looked in Nam and today.
To many folks visiting Dragonmans/Colorado Springs Military Museum might not be a “touristy” thing to do. For shooters and those who love military history this is a must see. The Dragonman is Mel Berstein, a Vietnam Veteran. He has a passion for military history, firearms and things that make lots of noise.
A few of Dragonmans’ machineguns that greet you in the store
Before we continue, I am sure you wonder how Mel got his nickname. When he lived in NYC, he built a motorcycle that looks like a fire breathing dragon is wrapped around it. The neighbors used to say, there goes the Dragonman. Hence the Dragonman was born and is now a legend in the firearms industry.
Mel’s famous Dragon Cycle that earned him the title Dragonman
When
you pull into the property you will drive past a dirt bike race track, a
paintball arena and several ranges. You are created by various mannequins and
civilian vehicles as well. After your drive up the road that takes a few
minutes because Mel’s property is nearly 250 acres, you come to the shop. It
looks like a bunker, for good reason; to protect the contents.
This Dodge is over 100 years old and still runs. It sets inside to preserve it.
Inside
the door you will seen hundreds of rifles on the walls, hundreds of handguns in
display cases, in the back corner there are dozens of historic fully
operational machineguns and through the inner door if it is open is the machine
shop where firearms and vehicles from the museum are maintained. You did not
misread that, Dragonman has a museum, Colorado Springs Military Museum behind
the shop that houses a couple thousand mannequins in military uniforms from all
periods of service, thousands of historical military artifacts including
hundreds of items Nazi concentration camps, current and recent Veterans have
provided Mel with dozens of unique items from OIF/OEF, they are life size dioramas
and the center piece over two dozen fully functional armored vehicles and
dozens of non-armored vehicles (nearly 100 total). Everything in the museum is
operational and ONE HUNDRED PERCENT REAL, they are no reproduction items.
Normally
tours are given on Sundays or by appointment, but Mel was gracious enough to
take me an abbreviated tour so I could share it with the readers of
GATDaily.com. To say the collection is breath taking would be an understatement.
I say that having been to many museums around the world. It also sends shivers
up your spine when you see the area reserved for the concentration camps.
My
tour started with Omaha/Utah Beach and the invasion of Fortress Europe on D+1.
These dioramas depicted a command bunker, a medic area with supplies, signal
lights, weapons, flares, kitchens; everything that was used on the invasion
save for a landing craft or Sherman tank. You could spend a couple of hours
just looking at all of the small items here and in every area and still not see
it all.
After
that we ventured into the Pacific Theater area. You will see antique Samurai
Swords carried by Japanese officers, suicide kits complete with cyanide,
countless photos and relics from both sides. Take time to look at the original
photos from the surrender on the USS Missouri and other action in the Pacific.
After
that we breezed through the Korea, WWl, Vietnam areas taking time to look at
the vehicles used by the troops in The War to End All Wars (WWl). They are all
over 100 years old and still run. One of the mannequins is a horse with WWl as
it would have been use by cavalry; this war was the transition from horse cavalry
to motorized cavalry. Again the small artifacts are endless and must be seen.
This horse is outfitted as it would be for a mounted US soldierA sled used by mountain troops in WWll.
From
there we went into the area commemorating our time in SE Asia from Desert Storm
to OIF/OEF and ongoing operations in the GWOT. What is amazing about this area
are the artifacts including one of Saddam Hussein’s scrapbooks. The troops from
the 4th ID operated with special operation forces searching for
Hussein and they donated it to the Colorado Springs Military Museum. Many of
the uniforms of the Iraqi Republican Guard come complete with bullet holes and
stains. To say the artifacts in this room are breath taking is an
understatement.
One of Saddam Hussein’s scrapbooks donated by the troops from Ft. Carson.Troops from Ft. Carson have their uniforms from OIF/OEF in the hall of honor.
We
finished the whirlwind tour in the Nazi machinegun bunker. This area is the most
chilling because of items from The Holocaust including uniforms from the death
camps, manacles used to move the victim’s bodies and the cans of Zyklon B that
was used to gas Jews, Gypsies and any other group the Nazis sent to Auschwitz, Treblinka,
Dachau, Sobibor and others. You will find items the Jews used in the Warsaw
Ghetto to fight the Nazis and just to live. This area will give you chills. If
you take the tour, make sure you get photos of these items. We must ensure the
world remembers how evil man can be.
Artifacts from Nazi concentration camps. The cans are ZyklonB when opened the pellets turn to deadly gas.Prisoners wore these uniforms in the camps.Manicules used to move bodies in the camps.
We
finished the tour the most unique item here or anywhere in the world. This is an
engraved/inlayed serial numbered belt buckle (#1) of Hitler’s personal body
guards. What makes the buckle unique is that it is a three barrel 22short pistol.
This last ditch pistol gave the guard three up close and personal single shots
to protect Hitler. Like all other German firearms the workmanship is amazing
and precise.
To say this is a brief description of Dragonman’s and Colorado Military Springs Military Museum is an understatement. I could post all the photos I took and they would not show a tenth of the sights. If you want to see the museum it is open on Sundays at 10AM March through November for tours or if you have nineteen friends you can schedule a tour. Dragonman has events throughout the year at his compound including his annual machinegun shoot, this year it is September 14th and 15th. You can get information about the shop and museum at https://www.dragonmans.com/ For videos search facebook for Dragonman or Colorado Springs Military Museum, you will be amazed. In closing I assure the museum is worth the trip, I plan to make another road trip so I can get the full tour.
Last evening at a social event, my wife was engaged in a conversation with the wife of an associate. I half listened until I realized that the conversation had morphed into gun control.
It became more interesting when I learned that the other lady had been a United States Marine, and had been part of the security detail for one of our better known and highly esteemed presidents. She has a Washington CPL and although we were in Oregon, I didn’t question whether or not she had one from that state as well.
It was most interesting, given her background, that she was purse carrying, and that she walked away from her purse and keys for an extended period of time. Noting the above, she was expressing her position in favor of stricter gun laws, as she personally believes that most people, herself of course excluded, would not be competent or fit to carry a firearm.
At that point I inserted myself into the conversation. I took quiet but definitive exception to her position and I asked her ‘the question’. That question, of course, is: “What law of any kind has prevented a crime? “
She was clearly taken aback and could not answer the question, but proceeded to offer a flurry of comments in favor of red flag laws, which I deflected by repeating the question. She drifted into the subject of law enforcement and the need for laws and enforcement, and I took the opportunity to remind her that enforcement of law is punishment but not prevention. There is no prevention in apprehending and punishing a criminal. The crime has been committed because the criminal does not obey the law. She flustered a bit and then chose to break off conversation.
I am personally quite satisfied with the outcome. I have come to the conclusion that people with her mentality will not be changed by any pleasing argument, or by any partial acquiescence to their premises.
We honest citizens must come to the sure and certain understanding that there will be no satisfaction on the part of those who consider themselves “elite“ until they are the only ones in possession of the tools of self-defense. They have no concept of Constitutional existence. Their false pretensions of rationality are clearly negated by their lack of common sense and performance.
It is my considered opinion that they truly have no understanding of that which they are proposing. They believe that the police will do their dirty work and go house to house confiscating firearms.
Except where police are corrupt, that will not happen. Every police officer whom I know personally has firearms at home for family members. None of them are willing to have those firearms confiscated, leaving their families at the mercy of the criminals who would not hesitate to do that which criminals do.
My comment, terminating the conversation above, was: “… it will be interesting when those who do not have guns assume that they will be able to take guns away from the people that have them”.
.
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—Robert A. Margulies, MD, MPH, FACEP, FACPM is an emergency medicine specialist, retired Navy Medical Corps captain, sworn peace officer, and firearm trainer with multiple certifications from the NRA and the Massad Ayoob Group.
While the BBC has an overall reputation of lower bias than many news outlets worldwide and I personally tend to agree… they have, as the intellectual community would say, “done goofed” this time.
How Fast Can Weapons Fire?
The chart makes such inquiries. It then goes onto give you some information in that regard. Ladies and gentlemen… it’s not good… not good at all. I can forgive a certain degree of generalization and I hope I am given the same courtesy but… BBC come on!? Google is there for you. Ask Siri or Alexa. Something…
“Approximate fire rates of selected weapons”
First Goof
The Revolver, Ruger LCR: 20 rounds per minute. Okay, that’s actually probably close from a practical standpoint with reloads. However this is a Ruger LCR.
What’s outlined is not…
It might be a Smith & Wesson Model 36.
Such an error would be forgivable. It is after all just ‘Revolver’ as a category, however they went out of their way to highlight the LCR and failed to provide an accurate graphic when that is literally internet childs play.
I’m doing it right now, look at me go!
Second Goof
Second verse same as the first but a little bit louder and a little bit worse…
The Semi-Automatic Pistol, Colt Model 70: 70 rounds per minute. Again, I think this is a fairly practical rate of fire estimate. Given magazine size vs. an LCR cylinder being 40% greater and reloads being both faster and easier on a slide locking semi-automatic, 70 is fair.
But then they single out the Colt Model 70.
Which is a little misleading. More accurately it’s a Series 70 Colt Model 1911A1. The BBC could have just generalized and said a ‘typical’ semi-automatic pistol. They additionally could have used a more accurate but still broad ‘1911’.
They also could have shown an actual 1911 instead of a Sig P226…
Oopsie, BBC. That’s two really junior varsity grade errors right in a row with the added snafu of not actually nailing down a firearm model in a situation where you chose too but didn’t truly need too. The BBC put in extra effort to take a data point and make it a failure.
The AK
Semi-Automatic Assault Rifle, AK47: 120 rounds per minute
Hey! You got one right. I’ll give you this one wholesale. That is a practical fire rate for a semi-automatic rifle and I’ll even give you guys a pass on the ‘assault’ term. I just don’t care about that one anymore. Call it an assault rifle, I’m still keeping mine. A rose by any other name and all that.
Good job, BBC. That’s 1 for 3. The graphic matches too! Look at you go, we’re riding without training wheels now ladies and gentlemen.
Goof Three: The Grand Goof
“Modified” Semi-Automatic Assault Rifle, AR-15: 1,200 rounds per minute…
Wait… Wait what… You… you were just doing so well, BBC! You had it! Who did this to you!?
That’s a Kriss Vector or MG42 rate of fire. The cyclic rate on an AR-15 is ~800 rounds per minute and it can vary a little… but not 50%! I don’t know of any combination of parts right now that would lend an AR a 1200 RPM cyclic rate, even as a machine gun with all the safeguards in place.
I cannot imagine the catastrophic combination of parts that would grant a rifle, not built with the automatic sealed safeguards in place, to fire at 1,200 rpm without flying apart. As a man with mechanical understanding of what is going on inside the rifle this is a terrible.. terrible.. terrible plan.
And then they say it’s still semi-automatic… just “modified”
AR-15’s, semi-auto have a listed sustained fire rate of 45-60 RPM by the way and an extremely “rapid” rate of 180 RPM. These aren’t just made up numbers. They are to keep the rifle from becoming a useless heap of metal due to extreme parts fatigue.
Goof Four: The Final Goof
Fully Automatic Assault Rifle: M16, 950 RPM
Close. Closer than the last one, BBC… but c’mon guys you’re literally listing the mechanically fully automatic variant of the AR-15, as in as fast the parts can operate together and fire, as having a slower fire rate than a semi-automatic.
The M16 hasn’t been produced in a fully automatic version since the A1. The A2 and A4 variants are 3-round burst. It will fire 3 rounds and then pause like a semi-automatic. Yes, the concept A3 variant had an automatic trigger group and the M4A1 and M27 are also automatic. None of them operate at 950 RPM because of the wear and tear on the guns.
Rate of Fire is not indicative of “Lethality”
It’s a stupid measurement of lethality and is only used as a scare tactic, so can we stop that already?
My truck has 5.7L V8 and can go well over 100 mph but could be lethal, probably more likely lethal even, at 25 mph. Because if I wasn’t paying attention and I hit someone the thousands of pounds of vehicle are going to do what physics do and the “capability” of doing more at a higher rate doesn’t matter in the equation one iota.
Every single one of the 5 poorly listed and cited firearms in this list is a lethal threat were it to be used against you in a mass shooting, or any shooting. Every. Single. One.
What we have come to accept as “civil” societal discourse has gotten wildly out of control. A combination of factors have contributed to this decline and it is the fault of many, not a single group. A group would escalate and then the group attacked would escalate to match. Dialogue is about winning a fight, not a conversation to spread understanding…
We have bred a culture of accepted levels of violence so long as you are “in the right.” Is it any wonder that persons mentally unstable enough to succumb to extremism take this societal que as an additional justification for their actions?
Don’t agree with an individual? Well that person is a _______, so it is actually okay to attack their character. You’re a hero for doing so even. You’re doing righteous work in the name of your ______ cause. Look at the disparity in portrayals of the KKK in left leaning media vs. Antifa, and then look at the same disparity on the right. Information is second to the message today. “Right think” has become the more important than and the enemy of free critical thinking.
Many claim to support free think, but only as a veil to push “right think” instead. It’s the correct way to think so of course free thinkers should agree, correct?
That, of course, is one of many fallacies we’ve allowed to permeate our societal conscious. Make no mistake, these fallacies are contributing to the evolution of societal violence we currently see. We quietly accept that certain unprovoked violent acts against certain labels are “ok” because said individual is a _______.
This attitude must end.
It is not the government’s job, and if we give it to them they can only fuck it up
Just as an assault weapons ban, a magazine ban, or a ban on mass murder has not curbed those events out of our culture, a ban on “wrong think” or tools that can be used against “wrong think” are a drastic threat to the civil rights of the citizenry of this nation.
The problem we are facing today is hard. It’s damn hard. The caustic conversation phenomena is rooted deeply. Combined with the magnifying power of data transfer speeds those at risk for radicalization and respond to radical stimuli have access to all of that stimuli faster than ever before. And our unwritten rule today is that in certain circumstances as long as its for “right think” purposes some violence is ok… that’s the unwritten and quietly spoken sideways of acquiescence.
“But let’s remember these people, the ones that were attacked were _______, so on a certain level it’s understandable.” It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about antifa in that box, or white supremacists with stupid tiki torches, or immigrants, or Muslims, or Jews, or name a freaking sub-group.
If you believe violence is necessitated against a group who has not directly aggressed you then I can guarantee you someone else believes the group you inhabit also is deserving of violence, and with equally as poor a justification.
Motivations
The motives and machinations of these three recent public attacks are wildly different. One was a racist xenophobe who left a rambling manifesto blaming Hispanics for the woes of the world. One was a registered voting democrat, supporter of Antifa and Elizabeth Warren, who was a vocalist of a “pornogrind” band that glorified rape and slaughter. The motive for the third is still a mystery.
So with wildly different motivations and every action they took already illegal… assault with a deadly weapon, first degree murder, reckless endangerment, terrorism… what do we do?
Be the change
We must engage ourselves personally. We must become a truly civil society so that even the extreme fringes of our spectrum of thought still feel violence is largely unwarranted. This is a cultural shift, not a legal one. It cannot be legislated, it must be a conscious individual choice.
Carry a gun…
Nothing will remove violence completely from the human condition. There will always be one, even in civil society, who will rise to the extremist stimuli and attack their neighbors. The motivation in that moment will not matter, nor will it the next time, nor the time after that. The motivation is irrelevant in the moment.
What will matter is what the people around that aggressor do in that moment. What they do to stop the violence, to protect themselves and shield the injured. Leave behind all the pseudo-moralistic arguments, of “Live by the sword, die by the sword,” and the paralleling thoughts. These are cited by those unwilling to accept the moral responsibility of their safety, they have given their lives into the hands of those who would wield the sword. They justify it by the supposed authority and oaths such people are sworn to, but they do not comprehend the limitations of oaths and people whose duties are to so many.
Carry a quality gun that you know how to use, when you cannot carry gun carry something you can. Understand how to stop the bleeding from a wound and to treat shock and other injuries. Know to the very core of your being that you and you alone are the ultimate arbiter of your safety and no rule made by man can supercede that fact.
The ‘K’ designator comes from our Teutonic friends and in regards to guns it means compact. Most famously it applies to SMGs and today we are looking at two guns that are K models. They don’t have an official K designation, but they certainly fit the mold. Today are doing a Micro Scorpion Vs Copperhead debate. Both of these guns recently hit the market and both fill a niche role as small SMG style pistols. They aren’t quite rifles or SMGs, and they are a bit larger than your traditional handgun. Both are smaller versions of standard-sized models and they have a lot in common.
We are going to pick apart the differences between both guns and do an unbiased and fair Micro Scorpion Vs Copperhead rundown. The goal is to use data versus my own vague impressions as much as possible. My plan isn’t to declare a winner in our Micro Scorpion vs Copperhead contest but to provide facts about both guns.
Out of the Box
Here we are going to look at what the guns come with and how they come out of the box. The CZ Micro Scorpion comes with two 20 round magazines, a bore snake, the included brace, and a set of robust iron sights. The SIG Copperhead comes with a single 20 round magazine and SIG’s new brace. There are no included iron sights or extras.
Off the bat, the CZ does come with two magazines and iron sights, which make it ready to go out of the box. The Copperhead in this article is equipped with a Burris Fastfire 3 so it can compete on the range.
In this portion of our Micro Scorpion Vs Copperhead debate the Scorpion does provide a better value overall. It’s priced considerably less than the Copperhead as well. Online the Copperhead is going for over $1,500 dollars and the Micro Scorpion is going for around $1,100.
Micro Scorpion vs Copperhead Size Wise
The goal of both of these weapons is to be small, lightweight, and compact. So the general consensus would be smaller and lighter would be better. If you wanted bigger and heavier there are alternative options for both guns.
The CZ Micro Scorpion has the following specifications. Barrel Length – 4.2 inches Overall Length Brace Collapsed – 16.35 inches Overall Length Brace Extended – 23.35 inches Weight – 5.5 pounds Height – 9.4 inches
The SIG Copperhead has the following specifications. Barrel Length – 3.5 inches Overall Length Brace Collapsed – 14.5 inches Overall Length Brace Extended – 19 inches Weight – 4.5 pounds Height – 8 inches
The Sig Copperhead is the smaller, lighter weapon. It’s less bulky and more streamlined in design. It features a completely redesigned upper when compared to the original MPX. The Micro Scorpion is smaller than the original but is still a larger and heavier weapon overall.
If you were using this Micro Scorpion Vs Copperhead contest to find a more concealable gun the Copperhead wins out.
Ergonomics
Both guns feature a healthy dose of ambidextrous controls. The Copperhead is a truly ambidextrous weapon. The controls are fully ambidextrous and lefties will love it all together. The Copperhead is an excellent weapon ergonomically.
If you’ve trained with an AR 15 you’ll have no issues transitioning over to the Copperhead. Everything is basically identical.
Ambi Controls All Day
The Scorpion features an ambidextrous safety as well as an ambidextrous magazine release. The charging handle can be swapped for left-handed use but isn’t truly ambidextrous. The bolt lock and release is not ambidextrous either.
The safety is a major pain, and I mean that literally. It digs into the trigger finger as the gun recoils and gets old fast. In fact, one of the first upgrades we saw on the aftermarket was a safety delete. As a safety, it’s a shorter throw than the Copperhead, and it’s very tactile and audible. It’s also a little painful.
Both guns are ergonomic powerhouses, and ergonomics are often a very personal decision. The Copperhead certainly scores points for its ambidextrous controls and AR familiarity. This is not one I can objectively decide in our Micro Scorpion Vs Copperhead debate.
Reloading
Starting with the weapon dry, and the bolt locked back to the rear I conducted 5 reloads, alternating between each gun as not to get more practice on one than the other. The drill ended when I fired a single shot. I used a Pocket Pal 2 to time these drills and all the drills in this article.
While both guns feature intuitive controls I found myself much faster with the CZ Micro Scorpion. On average I could reload the Scorpion in about 2.3 seconds. The Copperhead took on average of 2.7 seconds.
There are a few reasons. The first is my overall size makes it more difficult for me to handle the much smaller gun. I feel a bit gorilla-like when I’m hunched over the gun. Second, the charging handle and short brace length of the Copperhead means I have to move my head away from the sights to reach and activate the AR-style charging handle.
With the Scorpion, I can keep my sights on target and my body behind the gun as I reach for the forward placed charging handle. The first shot on target was quicker with the Scorpion. Getting the magazine in the gun was not much difference between the two weapons.
Fixing a Malfunction
I set up a complicated malfunction with a brass case stuck in the chamber. To complete the drill I’d remove the magazine, clear the chamber, reload and fire a round to end the drill. Here, the Scorpion again won once more.
The time difference was 4.5 seconds for the Scorpion and the Copperhead took me right around 6 seconds. The Scorpion’s forward charging handle was another major benefit in getting the gun back in action. The Scorpion also has a much bigger ejection port so it’s easier to fish that piece of brass out of the chamber.
Shootability
Let’s cover how the guns shoot and handle. First and foremost, they are both reliable weapons and I’ve never experienced a malfunction with either. Both weapons are similar in design and both are made for close quarter’s combat. Neither is made for long-range shooting, but both are accurate well beyond normal handgun ranges.
You can easily engage man-sized targets out to 25 yards and beyond. I’ve used both guns out to 75 yards and landed chest and torso shots on target. Standard accuracy tests are not necessary for these guns as far as I’m concerned. Instead, I wanted to do something more practical.
I went to the 25-yard line and fired 5 rounds in 5 seconds and I repeated the test four times alternating firearms. From there I measured the groups. The Micro Scorpion produced slightly smaller groups. At 25 yards the Scorpion produced roughly a 2-inch group for 4 of the tests. The Copperhead produced a 2.5-inch group on average.
Scorpion 5 Shot Group
I moved to the fifteen-yard line and repeated the test with 3 shots in 3 seconds. The groups shrunk for the Scorpion to 1.75 and the Copperhead was still roughly 2.5 inches.
Copperhead group
Recoil
Recoil between the weapons is about even. Keep in mind the Scorpion is much bigger and features a wider brace and heavier weight. The Copperhead’s lower weight and smaller brace do not mean an increase in recoil.
The Copperhead’s gas piston system results in less recoil than the CZ Scorpion’s blowback system. The blowback system results in a big bolt flying backward. Even so, it’s not painful or hard to control in absolutely any way. The sights hardly come off target.
Muzzle rise is very mild. Extremely mild, even when rapid firing. Both guns are easy to control. The Micro Scorpion offers a longer handguard, but I tend to grip both weapons by the magazine well.
While technically it’s a tie the Copperhead is an underdog and I’d say the Copperhead has less recoil when you consider how small and light it is. Both weapons in our Micro Scorpion Vs Copperhead article are very easy to control.
Trigger
Without a doubt, the Copperhead has a shorter, and lighter trigger pull with a shorter reset. The CZ Micro Scorpion isn’t a bad trigger, but its somewhat long and spongy. We can keep this nice and short and anyone who does their own Micro Scorpion Vs Copperhead comparison will find it out for themselves.
Who Wins?
As I said earlier I’m not trying to declare a winner necessarily in this Micro Scorpion Vs Copperhead debate. There is no clear winner, and both guns have their strengths and weaknesses. Overall, I’m better with the Scorpion shooting wise. The smaller and lighter Copperhead does have some very clear merit when you are looking for a K Model SMG wannabe.
Two mass shootings over the weekend followed on the heels of the Gilroy, California attack leaving a total of 32 dead and several dozen wounded between the three. The internet is on fire with the blame game and President Trump is a central target, as is the NRA and the typical list of “gun-lover boogiemen” and congress and… and… and the list goes on.
All three of the shooters have been lumped into a “white supremacist” Trump supporters pot however, the three have differences as noted in the Secret Service’s MAPS report. The motives of two are still unknown, but one has an attributed manifesto.
What do we know?
It’s different in all three cases.
Gilroy
The attack on the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California is the oldest of the three incidents and we know the most. Three people were killed, including a six year old and a highschooler. The attacker cut his way through a perimeter fence to gain access.
The gunman who killed three people and injured 13 others at a garlic festival in Gilroy fatally shot himself after exchanging gunfire with police officers, the authorities said on Friday, updating previous accounts in which they said the officers had killed him.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair said investigators had no reason to believe the shooter was targeting any particular characteristics Sunday. They were still reviewing his social media and digital media forensics, among other pieces of information.
So in summary…
Motive: Unknown, witness reports saying he claimed he was, “just angry” or some variation. Weapon used was an AK or SKS, I’ve been shown third hand conjecture on both. Either would be illegal in California if the magazine could be changed, which a witness said was done in front of them. A picture of police around an underfolder model AK has made rounds online but I have no confirmation if it is the Gilroy rifle purchased in Nevada.
Dayton
The attack in Dayton, Ohio killed nine and wounded many more, 37 treated is the last number reported from trample injuries and gunshot wounds. The shooter attacked a popular nightlife location with an AR. He fired, at minimum, 41 rounds in the incident. Officers who engaged him fired nearly twice that number with 48 .45 ACP, 16 .223, and 1 12ga spent shells recovered from officer weapons.
As I’ve noted in the past AR’s are prevalent and inexpensive, if everything here is of the same expense level as the lower and optic its only about $600, the cost of a new Glock or Sig pistol. Cost is a huge driver in acquisition.
Among the dead was the shooter’s own sister. Motive remains unknown at this time, speculation is around the theory that the Dayton shooter is a copycat with the fascination typical of copycats for other serial and mass killers. A political motivation is not a top contender for reasoning. No demands or manifesto has been attributed to Dayton, which happened several hours after El Paso. The El Paso shooting itself, sans motive, may have been a triggering factor.
El Paso
Unlike the other two shootings, El Paso has been attributed to a political motivation. The shooter who killed twenty and wounded dozens posted a manifesto that held racist, xenophobic, and eco-facist/eco-terrorist views. He blamed environmental problems on Hispanics and appears to have deliberately targeted them during the attack. The El Paso shooter is a copycat of the New Zealand attack and the manifesto attributed to the shooter specifically cites his praise for the Christchurch terrorist.
The El Paso shooter used an AK to attack the Wal-Mart and shopping center that was packed with back to school shoppers.
In El Paso, Gilroy, and Dayton responses to the shootings on the ground were swift and decisive. The Dayton shooter was engaged and killed in under a minute. The Gilroy shooter was fired upon and commited suicide, a common response to force arriving against an active killer.
In El Paso, citizens stepped up into the emergency and the most visible face has been Glendon Oakley.
Image via ABC News
Oakley was there, concealed carrying, and when the shots started ringing out he acted decisively to save lives. Carrying kids to safety and getting them into the hands of responding law enforcement. His example is an exemplary
The shooter in El Paso was apprehended and is being held on Capital Murder charges.
The Fallout
The communities of Gilroy, El Paso, and Dayton are going to necessitate a serious recovery time period, the attacks have left them shaken.
Political
The anti-gun voices have never been louder and those normally seen as pro-gun are… well…
Support for Red Flag laws, the pre-due process firearm confiscation orders already legal in several states, is receiving mass national attention. As is the TAPS Act which reads like something out of minority report and has an equally broad capacity for abuse.
While better data and criminal predictive modeling is a valuable tool for safety and security within the United States, anything that looks to remotely circumvent due process must be looked at with the highest scrutiny and modified to protect the civil rights of the people.
There is no civil right to “feeling safe” and there never can nor will be. There are civil rights to your person and property being unjustly attacked and seized. There are civil rights that allow you to take steps to protect yourself and your family. As we speak the masses are crying out to “feel safe” in their communities and the government will happily respond by taking rights.
A push on gun control.
These attacks are too close together and too public to let cooler heads take the reins this time. Despite evidence that should level the emotions, no one wants to be told they’re being emotional when people died so publically. Anyone who does so will be vilified.
From HeyJackass, today’s stats out of Chicago.
Neil deGrasse Tyson was attacked on social media for calling perspective to the deaths, a little early perhaps and his tone came off as callous, however that does not change the fact that the public and shocking nature of these three attacks don’t change their actual place in the deadly threat hierarchy of the nation as a whole.
Tyson has apologized for the post but not the information.
We need to use all the information, the real information to formulate effective defenses against violence in all its forms.
Most importantly we need to shift our perspective back to seeing our neighbors as neighbors and not enemies, those who disagree with you politically are not your enemy and shouldn’t be treated as such. They just disagree. We have cultivated a culture of “acceptable” violence as long as you think aren’t a wrong thinker.
There’s evidence floating around that the Dayton killer was a Democrat. That doesn’t matter! The fact that he, at 1am, chose to go on a killing spree that included familicide does matter. The fact that a soft entertainment target was hit so hard does matter.
The reactions of police, ems, and citizens responding to the injured and threats at all these three tragedies and saved lives. That matters!
Can we have a show of hands here as to who really, really needs to make a run to the grocery store today? How many times a month do you buy groceries? Or do you stop by the store three times a week every time you need any little thing? Does your cupboard usually have a can of tuna, a jar of peanut butter, and a can of ravioli that expired in 2007? Are you even able to locate your can opener?
If that is what you’re pantry looks like, let me ask you a question. What would you do if there were torrential storms tonight that flooded your route to the grocery store and knocked out your power for a week? What would you eat? If there was a boil water advisory due to the flooding, but your stove is electric, how are you going to do that?
In our modern and convenient world full of creature comforts there are people who have not ever thought about, let alone planned for, these possibilities. The news photos of wiped out bottled water shelves two days before a hurricane tell us that most people only think about these things in the final hours before disaster strikes. The memes about bread, milk, and toilet paper before a winter storm are legion. It’s all a joke until “disaster” doesn’t give you any warning.
The general public seems to think of “preppers” as slightly nutty, paranoid fanatics planning for the end of the world. But the reality is that there are many and varied reasons why you should do at least “some” pre-planning too. You don’t have to believe in the Zombie Apocalypse in order to build up your food supply a little.
I’ve heard this idea called a “deep pantry”. We’re not talking about storing grain for 30 years and grinding your own wheat flour. (I’m not on board with that yet either.) We’re talking about having some non-perishable shelf food put by in case something bad happens. Our grandparents and great-grandparents took this idea for granted. They didn’t have 24-hour grocery stores and fast food on every corner. If they wanted supper they had to make it themselves from what was on the shelf in their homes. The folks who lived through the Great Depression are slowly dying off, but they have a great deal still to teach us in this regard.
The “something bad” doesn’t have to be weather-related or civil unrest or even a stock market crash. It can be more individual/ personal – like sudden illness or job loss – anything that interferes with your ability to purchase food or get to the store. Having a cushion of even a month or two’s worth of food put aside can give you peace of mind.
You don’t have to break your budget or build a bomb shelter to start doing this either. You can start as small as picking up an extra can or two of tuna or baked beans the next time you are at the store. If you regularly eat fast food or buy speciality coffees, try cutting out a couple of those a week and spending that money on several bags of rice or noodle mixes. Those foil packet mixes have a lot of sodium and are more expensive that buying bulk rice or noodles, but if you are not much of a cook, then the prepackaged flavors give you variety, almost instant prep, and with some canned meat and a small can of vegetables can give you a decent nutritious meal that is shelf stable. Even ramen can be dressed up that way.
Try to mix it up when you make these purchases. Make sure you have canned meats/fish, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Don’t forget the dairy for a Vit D and calcium source. Canned evaporated milk or powdered milk in envelopes works very well. I have used both, and while they don’t taste as good as fresh milk, they work fine in your coffee, and in recipes. Save an old quart peanut butter jar to mix up your powdered or evaporated milk in.
Don’t forget salt, spices, and comfort flavors like maybe taco mix or ranch mix for your longer term supplies. Being able to have different flavors and food to look forward to can do a great deal for morale in an emergency or a family crisis.
And don’t forget to start thinking about water storage. Consider picking up a few gallons of bottled water at a time, or buying a few camping jugs to fill up with tap water to store and rotate. (Or save and reuse other jugs like cheapskate me.) Remember those empty shelves of bottled water I talked about before? You won’t need to face that and pay exorbitant prices if you’ve already planned ahead.
Once you start getting a small surplus of food to store you need to think about the actual storage. Heat, moisture, and light tend to degrade stored food. Choose a location for storage which is dry, darkish, and avoids temperature extremes. For some people underbed storage boxes on wheels are an excellent solution. Other people need metal cans to protect against rodents. Take a good look around your house or apartment and see if there are nooks and crannies where storage boxes might fit. You’d be surprised.
Why not just buy a few cases of MRE’s you might ask? That’s fine too if you have the money and don’t mind limited menu options for weeks on end. But MRE’s aren’t cheap, and are beyond the budget of a lot of people – especially if they are stretching just to have a few extra cans a week in their cart. And we’re really just talking “deeper pantry” right now, not full-on “Bug-out” supplies. One step at a time.
The advantage to regular grocery store food is that though it won’t store well for decades, if something is getting a little dated, you can just rotate it out into your usual cooking routine and replace it with a fresh can or pouch. With grocery store food you can also eat what you like and aren’t limited to what the Department of Defense contracted for in 2007. But, if you don’t cook when times are good, you probably won’t cook when times are bad. Or if the situation is such that you CAN’T cook, then MRE’s are a good option. Options are always a good thing.
Speaking of options, commercial food isn’t your only one if you are a gardener or are interested in other forms of food preservation. That’s another area where our great-grandparents still have something to teach us. This is where I am personally right now – learning about dehydration and home canning. So look for more on this as I go along on the “never stop learning” curve.
In the meantime if you are one of those Mother Hubbard types, you know where you need to start.
Everyone stop what you’re doing and check your pocket, desk, and immediate area. Find you flashlight please. Don’t have one? Shame. Phones don’t count. I’m talking your useful, ready, easy to get at EDC flashlight. If you don’t have one… shame.
Now go please correct that. The Streamlight ProTac 90 might be the way. It’s $40. As a man who’s neighborhood has lost power I believe… 6 times this month, it is a little more than a “just being prepared” consideration.
Shrink ray
Those from a veteran background will probably recognize the enormous unwieldy “moonbeam” lamp on the left, the MX991/U that has been issued since the Vietnam War. On the right is the ProTac 90, the result of Streamlight’s engineers playing with a shrink ray in their lab. Adding an LED emitter and multicell power capability didn’t hurt either.
Why a 90 degree light?
Simple, what was true on the large light is true on the smaller. The design is very easy to clip your shirt, pants, or gear and go hands off to accomplish any given task. The flat base also makes it easy to set on any flat surface and cast light as needed. The design won’t roll away if set on its side to provide light. It’s very good at staying where you put it, a trait round lights lack.
Unlike the massive predecessor however the ProTac 90 can also fit in your pocket. It makes for an easily portable everyday tool instead of a cumbersome space hogging burden. It retains all the advantages of the larger light, adds several new ones, and the only thing it didn’t come with was the fragile and easily lost lens covers of the MX911/U.
Illumination
The Streamlight’s output maxes out 300 lumens with a candella of 5,400. It makes for a serviceable tactical light and its angle allows for a very easy two hand modified grip on a pistol while running the light. I’ll do more on this in a later article discussing pistol/light use, Travis has a bit on this though that’s already up.
The ProTac 90 has Streamlight’s Ten Tap programmable functionality which, in this instance, I find more of a boon than a bother. A pocket light like the 90 is a utility light first and a tactical light second, having the function on hand to switch between the two so the light acts how you need it too is phenomenally useful. I still don’t care for the strobe setting (1) but high only (2) and low/high(3) are what make the ProTac 90 such an exceptional utility light.
In its native ‘low’ setting it will shine 40 lumens at 700 candella for 14 hours. On ‘high’ it gets a respectable 1.75 hours at 300 lumens off of a single CR123 cell.
Speaking of that…
ProTac 90 Power Source
The ProTac is not limited to using CR123’s. The system will run off of AA cell batteries too at a reduced maximum output. If you need power you can cannibalize a TV remote, game controller, or any of a myriad household devices that have a AA and not a CR123. The CR123 being a “tactical” battery they don’t float around in the quantities AA’s do. I don’t think I’ve seen anything except certain cameras use them outside that tactical sphere.
On a AA lithium cell the light will run at 125 lumens for 5.5 hours, 3.5 on an alkaline cell. On low the lumen output is still 40 like with the CR123 but the run time is 8.25 hours on an alkaline cell and will run 15 hours, one longer than the CR123, on a lithium.
Depending on what you are utilizing the light for primarily you may choose to run AA lithiums for the extended run time.
Durability
Durable aluminum construction and o-ring seals give the ProTac 90 an IPX7 rating. It is waterproof with a 1m/30 minute submersion rating.
There are different levels of “waterproof” and it is important to know your gear and its limitations. The ProTac 90 is going to be just fine in the rain or if it falls in a puddle or pond. It is not rated for a dive so don’t grab your air tank and go looking for sunken treasure but you’re not going to short it out if the sky opens up onto you.
Drop rating is listed at 2 meters onto a hard surface. So any of your typical drops, from a workbench, your hands, a cabinet, down through your engine compartment, none of those are going to decommission this light. Launching it skyward in a hail mary pass… you might get lucky, you might not.
Final
Simple. If you don’t have an EDC light, get one. The ProTac 90 is waterproof, 300 lumens, multi-cell compatible, programmable for use, and will clip to you or hang on any flat surface. For $40.
TAMPA, FL, August 2, 2019 – Meopta USA Sport Optics is pleased to introduce the Meopta Carbon Fiber Tripod. This lightweight, extremely durable tripod is ideal for hunters who need a rugged, easily portable, and highly stable tripod in the field. The Carbon Fiber Tripod comes standard with a ball head, pan-tilt head, universal smartphone adapter, and premium carrying case.
The Meopta Carbon Fiber Tripod is designed for spotting scopes of all makes and models as well as binoculars with the use of a standard tripod adapter. The fluid heads deliver smooth, vibration-free movement making it easier to glass vast areas. The phone adapter works with all brands of smartphones and can be attached to the tripod to take quality photos and videos in the field.
“Efficient and effective glassing is crucial on many hunts, and we want to offer our customers a rugged, lightweight, highly stable tripod at a great price,” said Randy Garrison, Director of Meopta USA Sport Optics. “With the Meopta Carbon Fiber Tripod, our customers have the convenience of getting all their optical equipment in one place and the confidence of knowing we stand behind the performance.”
Weighing just 4 lbs., the Meopta Carbon Fiber Tripod folds to 18 inches for easy carrying and comes with a stylish premium nylon carrying case. The maximum total rise with center riser extended is 70 inches, and there is a center hook on which to hang extra weight, such as a backpack, for additional stability if desired. The kit also comes with four quick-release (QR) plates (two for each head) to speed deployment in the field, and one leg of the tripod is detachable for use as a monopod.
Meopta is offering a special package deal which includes the Meopta MeoPro HD 80 Spotting Scope (straight or angled) and Carbon Fiber Tripod. This kit will retail for $1,699 vs. $1,599 for the HD 80 Spotting Scope alone, creating a $200 value for the consumer.
Retail Pricing:
Meopta Carbon Fiber Tripod: $299.95
Meopta Carbon Fiber Tripod and MeoPro HD 80 Spotting Scope Kit: $1,699.95
About Meopta
Meopta has been producing high-end European optics for over 85 years. Meopta is a leading manufacturer & partner to many of the world’s finest optical brands. Meopta conceives, develops and manufactures precision optical and electro/optical systems for semiconductor, medical, aerospace and military industries as well as for consumer markets.
When it comes to concealed carry a lot of us are forced to choose a handgun based on where we think we might be able to carry it. The problem with this is that you should not let your firearm dictate how it will be carried, you should dictate how you can most effectively carry your firearm. That is where a pistol like the Springfield Armory 911 comes into the picture. With its firm handling, the stout power of modern hollow-points, and its compact size, you get to decide the best way to carry a firearm based on your preferences and needs. Let’s take a look at four easy ways you can carry the Springfield 911.
Outside-the-Waistband (OWB) Hip Carry
With the warmer weather that summer brings, many of us want to get outside and be more adventurous. Whether you are hiking, camping, doing yard work, or running simple errands, the easiest position for most individuals to draw from is their dominant hip. Good shooting mechanics can be practiced from this position and transfer over to many other positions of concealed or open carry. If you wish to remain concealed, a simple light coat or long T-shirt can easily cover this position while still allowing for it to be easy to draw from if the need were to arise.
Ankle Carry
Another spot that you should consider carrying that frequently gets overlooked is the ankle carry. Many firearms are immediately disqualified from this conversation because of their size, but the Springfield 911 can accomplish this position with ease. If you hold an occupation that requires you to be more buttoned-up with tucked in clothing, and you are not confident drawing from underneath a tight garment, this could be an easy solution. With the flush-fit six round magazine in your Springfield 911, those around you will be none the wiser that you are carrying.
If you are one of those people who dislike it when your pistol is gnawing on the point of your hip or unpleasantly poking you in the groin during appendix carry, then IWB Small-of-the-Back carry could be perfect for you. With the natural curvature of our spine and the crease of our body’s buttocks, most people have more room about their waist to carry small-of-the-back as opposed to other areas along their waistline.
I am extremely upset over Democrat moves they label as “gun safety” regulations and laws that have minimal or NO effect on the killing of American children.
Why do voters not ask: “Would this proposed legislation have prevented the Columbine event or the Sandy Hook shooting or the Parkland school shooting or the Colorado theater shooting?” The rhetoric, laws and regulations being argued about today would have prevented none of these massacres.
People who do crazy things with firearms do not care one iota about any law now on the books or any being proposed.
How do people not recognize that every mass shooting in the USA but one since 1992 has occurred in a supposed “gun free zone”. The perpetrators obtained firearms legally (passing background checks), bought them illegally, stole them from someone else, or possessed them illegally at the time of the shooting.
Laws do not affect the behavior of those who have decided to act illegally.
I am a retired Board Certified pediatrician with 35 grandkids and 5 great-grandkids, and I care enormously about the safety of all of those children, as well as the children of all Americans. It is very clear to me that the ONLY way my family members will be safe in any school, shop or restaurant is for someone there to be armed and to stop attackers before they damage the lives and well-being of those in that place.
It’s not rocket science to know that when seconds count, law enforcement is minutes away.
I learned many years ago to evaluate medical literature. The recent “study” reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics should have embarrassed those who authored it as well as those who allowed it to be published. It is stacked with “statistics” that are intended to mislead and misinform the general public. It should be regarded only as a political statement by a group of supposed professionals intending to promote an agenda that is not based on facts.
None of those who desire to disarm American citizens and neuter the Second Amendment EVER talk about the millions of times every year that firearm owners stop violent criminal events. News outlets are not interest in reporting that “Nancy Williams was not beaten and robbed today because she outgunned her assailant.” The great number of defensive uses of firearms is reported in unpublished work by the Centers for Disease Control in 1996-98 that is ignored by all those who are intent on disarming Americans
It is unfortunate that most people who want to ban modern semi-automatic weapons have no clue that the main difference between those and “Dad’s hunting rifle” is appearance. I am confident that many of those seeking restrictions in the name of “gun safety” have no idea about the differences between a revolver and a semiautomatic pistol, between a lever action and a semiautomatic rifle, or between a semiautomatic rifle and a machine gun.
I also wonder at how the world’s memory has faded about what occurred in Germany before Adolf Hitler began slaughtering millions of people. The Weimar Republic required gun registration, and Hitler outlawed citizen ownership before he began his mass killing rampage. He said “The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subjugated races to possess arms.”
Not only does the Second Amendment protect our right to the means with which to protect ourselves from criminals and tyrants, without it the First Amendment codifying the right to public dissent has not a leg to stand on!
Any proposed “public gun safety” legislation needs to ensure that people can protect themselves and each other from attackers, whether they use firearms or other weapons. The proposals currently being promoted will have affect only law-abiding citizens who choose to be armed for good reasons, including to protect themselves and others from those to whom gun control laws are meaningless.
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—Cris McBride, M.D. is retired from a busy practice in rural Arizona. He purchased his first firearm at age 11 from a Sears catalog for $12. Dr. McBride is adamant about shooting for fun and self defense, and to prevent a tyrannical government from taking away our God-given rights.
