Rookie Evolution & the Buddy System

I don't really have mastery of the gun hobbyist vocabulary yet so I listen more than I talk.

I walked into the local Cabela's a few months back and stood near the gun counter for a while watching and listening. I soaked up a full load of new info and decided I'd take a break to mull over some concepts and ideas, so I strolled up to the deli for a snack. A while later I had all my questions lined up and went back to the gun counter to select a victim. After about 4 questions he got tired of me and passed me off to a coworker with a higher level of newbie skills.

All in all not a bad day. I got 2 cards and some contact info for basic handgun classes, concealed carry instructors & local ranges; some good poop on eye/ear safety (you may shoot different stuff over time, but you'll always need eye and ear protection, so quality gear is a good investment); and the standard allotment of personal preference advice about caliber and ammo.

Being new to the shooter scene is a lot like being in a foreign country. It's hard to put your questions into a form people can understand when you don't have a good working vocabulary of the local lingo. It slows my learning curve that I'm not good with nomenclature; if someone says "I just bought a glock 29", I hear "I just bought a handgun". So a good bit of the info shooters send my way goes right over my head. But I'm learning. Having lotsa free time to do research helps.

Now several months later; I've been to a couple local gun shows, visited online with a couple gun-bloggers, chatted up some of the guys behind the counter at the local ranges and gun shops and managed to spend some $$. But as I'm still not part of the 'in crowd' or a bona fide regular customer, I still get that 'new kid' feeling when I walk into a serious firearm environment.

During my Army years I bounced around a lot and usually there was someone assigned to meet the newbie at the airport and show him the ropes. The buddy system works; adjusting to the new place is waaaay easier with a buddy. I didn't realize how much of a difference it makes until I showed up at a new duty station and there was no assigned buddy. Lucky for me it was west Texas and the first guy I ran into was bored and a vet. Needless to say, when it was my turn to be the assigned buddy, I took the duty seriously.

In the interest of fighting firearm ignorance, and easing first timers into the environment while minimizing the social stress, I thought about the old army buddy system. Wouldn't it be easier if you had a buddy to show you the ropes; range rules, driving directions, how to avoid range rush-hour, someone to introduce you and keep you from making too many of those embarrassing rookie mistakes?

During my web-wanderings I've run across a few bloggers who have open invites for first timers to come out and shoot. Some offering to supply everything; targets, ammo, a variety of firearms, etc.

idea: lets make a list and get all the info in one place.

so

I started with the handful of volunteer bloggers and an outdated link list I found where someone had already started the same project. I sent out a few emails and the replies started coming back. I added a MENTOR section to my sidebar and replied with vague promises of future creativity and sophistication for the upcoming versions.

I was hoping for a dozen; so far I have more than half that and it's only been a couple weeks. If I can keep up with it we might have something. I suspect a great number of the anti-gunners are motivated by fear of the unknown. If we can educate them 1 at a time by making sure their initial experience is fun and informative and SAFE; we stand a chance.

I've seen people get turned off by bad initial experiences with dogs, motorcycles, sushi, and half a dozen other things. I hope we can make your first range visit a good one.

range visit

Went down to the JCSSA range today. It was much closer and easier to find than I had anticipated. Which means I can go more often (if they let me join someday).

Arrived just as they were starting to finish up the competition for the day. Which means everyone had their range fix and were pretty much standing around/packing up. Ideal for the rookie to strike up conversations and soak up info.

Picked up some basic club info, read the range rules, met a few of the regulars, and got to watch a couple guys adjust the sights on some new purchases.

Today's lesson -- Binoculars are handy. Walking down range to check the target after every 3 rounds sucks bad when its 95 degrees. Sittin' in the shade is better.

hearing voices

Digging through my RSS feeds today I read a couple posts from different places that sorta fit together, and I heard that little click in my head as the pieces fell into place.

and then I heard my Dad's voice loud and clear:

"Leave it alone son. It's not bothering you"

Now I know Dad is at least 800 miles away, but occasionally situations spark memories of my childhood and I get little verbal flashbacks. This particular memory centers around a varmint sittin' in a sunny patch, a stick and a kid [me] with no fear of getting bitten or scratched. Y'all are already laughing at me aren't ya? Dad was one to let the punishment fit the crime. He's funny that way. He figures I'm gonna get what I deserve; random varmints don't have a 3 strike justice system.

Well today I was reading this: Jovian Thunderbolt
immediately after which I read this: CowTown Cop

I can't leave that alone...... gotta poke it ........I'll need a stick.......

word for the day: SEGUE

"to make a transition from one thing to another smoothly and without interruption"

.... stop pokin' me DAD.

Laws, Safety & Freedom - Part 1

Our laws are inconsistent.

We require seat belt use for automobiles, but our citizens are allowed to jump out of airplanes.

We require safety/proficiency training for legal use of automobiles, but we don't require any prior training for parenthood.

I think motorcycle helmets are a good safety feature. I think helmet use can save lives. The ER nurses who held me down and scrubbed the gravel out of my face think so too. I don't for a second think anyone has the right to MAKE me wear one. Do I wear one? Yes. Always? No. It is a choice I should be able to make for myself as an adult. At no point does my helmet usage adversely impact another living being. EVER. Why do people across the nation think the government needs to regulate it?

To my knowledge there's no law requiring condom use. Condom use quite frequently impacts more than one life.

If we are going to pass laws to keep people safe from EVERYTHING, wow that's a lot of laws we're going to need. Let's face it; if we legislate anything unsafe out of our lives we're going to be left with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and not much else.

I can see the reasoning behind training prior to using a firearm or a vehicle (or ANY potentially dangerous tool). I can see the reasoning behind a requirement for training. I can also see a reason to avoid making it a REQUIREMENT.

If you buy a saw and cut off your finger, that's all you. Call it incompetence or negligence or whatever you want; you did it to you. I don’t see any need for anti-saw legislation to keep you safe. I certainly don’t see a need for anti-saw legislation to keep ME safe in the event I might lose a finger someday down the road. Since they belong to me, and I’m an adult, I see it as MY responsibility to keep track of where I put MY fingers and MY saw. There’s no logical reason to pass a law just because we need to be careful.

When I bounced my face on the road, because I was too stupid to put on my helmet, my dad took me to the ER and then took me to the local cycle safety class. He had the instructor point to my face and point to the students’ helmets. Then he showed them the medical bill and told them where they could buy full face helmets. That’s education not legislation. And it works.

We cannot continue to pass legislation every time someone does something stupid or careless. Every time we do, we curb the rights of the citizens; the safe and conscientious as well as the stupid and careless. It is not government’s job to keep us safe from ourselves. This is the USA and we have the freedom to be as smart or stupid as we choose.

Instead of passing more unconstitutional laws we don’t need, let’s promote education.

Reason and responsibility

We all want the same thing. I mean except for a few mental midgets who truly want chaos, we all want safety and security. We all want to be safe in our homes, on the freeway, and safe at work. We all want our children to be safe at school, safe at home, safe at grandma’s house, safe on the sidewalk, safe in church, etc.

Dictionary.com
- safety: freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.
- security: precautions taken to guard against crime, attack, sabotage, espionage, etc. something that secures or makes safe; protection; defense.
- responsible: having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable; capable of rational thought or action

So, what it comes down to is how you want to achieve the state of feeling safe and secure.

Medical safety
American Red Cross

“For nearly a century, the American Red Cross has prepared people to save lives through health and safety education and training. From first aid, CPR and bloodborne pathogens training to swimming and lifeguarding, HIV/AIDS education and Babysitter's Training, American Red Cross Preparedness programs help people lead safer and healthier lives.”

“Today's innovative programs also include teaching lay persons and professionals how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to save victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Last year, nearly 11 million people enrolled in American Red Cross health and safety courses."

Why have 11 MILLION people enrolled? Because the sooner first aid is available the better the chances of survival, that’s why. If the “lay person” is on site the victim need not wait for someone to arrive before help can begin.

Train more people. Equip more people. Better chance of survival.

I’m pretty sure a defibrillator used in an irresponsible fashion can harm or kill. Much like a knife or gun or automobile can maim or kill; when used carelessly by unqualified untrained people. Why has no one complained about these potentially lethal devices being placed in our schools and churches and homes? Because, when used correctly, they SAVE LIVES, that’s why. Having this equipment readily available and trained personnel nearby makes us feel safer.

Motor vehicle safety
Motorcycle helmets make me feel safer, so do seatbelts. As a society we are so enamored with these particular safe practices we force it on people by making it law. We require auto manufacturers to include airbags for more security. Do I agree helmets and belts are safer? Yes. Do I think people should be forced to be safe? No. Bungee jumping isn’t particularly safe but there is no law against it.

Train more people. Equip more people. Better chance of survival.

In a fit of road rage can I take my helmet and pummel another motorist or pedestrian? Yes. Can a carjacker get in my car and strangle me with the seatbelt? Yes. Do we prohibit people from owning helmets or buying cars with seatbelts because people who are out of control or criminal MIGHT misuse them? No.

Home safety
We require inspections to make sure our homes will meet safety standards even before we buy. We require smoke alarms and circuit breakers and gas cutoff valves. Why? For more safety and security, that’s why. Many people even have civilian security companies monitoring their homes. People pay extra money every month for additional peace of mind; more security for their home, children, even pets. Some places require additional fencing for pool safety. Some require signs posting warnings about pets. Special permits are required for exotic animals because they are potentially hazardous to others.

Litter boxes are hazardous for pregnant women. Q-tips are dangerous if you stick ‘em in your ears too far. People choke on food all over the world. Food isn’t banned by the constitution; should local governments pass laws regulating the size of the piece of steak you can put in your mouth?

Train more people. Equip more people. Better chance of survival.

Can I train my dog to viciously attack people? Yes. Do I? No. I take responsibility for my dog. He’s trained to not pee on the carpet and he’s trained to guard my property. He’s trained to not eat things on the ground because I’ve seen what poison does. He’s trained to make a racket and get my attention when someone is nearby because I don’t want anyone sneaking up on me. He’s trained to wake me up when my blood sugar makes me sleepy and sluggish. He’s trained to come get me when it’s time for my meds. He’s learning to get the phone or the remote when I can’t.

Ladies and gentlemen,
If you misuse it, intentionally or accidentally, if you don’t take the time to learn proper technique, if you are not prepared; or in criminal hands ANYTHING CAN BE DANGEROUS.
Seatbelts Q-tips Dogs Water

Personal security
Let’s face it; there’s crime everywhere. Anyone who thinks otherwise probably has their shoes on the wrong feet. Statistics can be misleading at best and anyone with a goal can (ab)use stats to show just about anything. Grabbers and Toters have been hurling stats at each other since we quit using sticks and rocks.

There is a whole phone system, NATIONWIDE, in use because the police are not nearby when you are in danger. If the police were right on top of every incident no one would need to dial 911.

Having the desire to help does not magically create an ability to help. Nor does it guarantee the presence of any entity willing and able to help at the instant help is needed. Neither of my parents can swim. When I was young, I knew if I ever got into trouble in the water, my parents would be unable to help. Ask any parent of a drowned child how long it takes for tragedy to strike. Ask any EMT/Paramedic/First Responder what the window of opportunity is for ‘help’. It isn’t very big. This is why we put SIRENS AND FLASHING LIGHTS on emergency vehicles; because response time is often the difference between life and death.

The lack of immediate professional help is why we have 911, it’s why we have ADT home security systems, it’s why we have people trained in CPR in our schools, it’s why we have lifeguards at the beach, and it’s why we should be allowed to carry weapons.

Train more people. Equip more people. Better chance of survival.

If you feel secure enough with help 3 minutes away, good for you. I can’t hold my breath that long. I’ll learn the Heimlich maneuver.
If you feel secure enough with a hamster, good for you. I’ll keep my big dog.
If you feel secure enough with 911 on speed-dial and your phone on your belt, good for you. I prefer to confront people who violate my rights with an immediate response.

People take toy makers to court when children put things in their mouths. The toymaker wasn’t there when it happened
People take auto makers to court when cars malfunction. The auto maker wasn’t there when it happened.
How long until people take the police to court when a crime happens?

What separates the gun toter and the banner-grabber is the willingness to take responsibility for personal safety.

I took responsibility to learn to drive safely. I took responsibility to train my dog safely. I took responsibility to learn first aid. I took responsibility to study self defense techniques that I hope I never have to use. I took responsibility to train with my firearms. I don’t want to have to look at my family someday and say “daddy called for help, and they’re on the way” in a situation where I could say “daddy took care of it, and it’s ok”. I have a responsibility. I’m not going to pass the buck and say it is someone else’s responsibility to keep my family safe. Because it’s not.

Its about responsibility.

big weekend

Saturday
I got up early and packed up some gear: pistol bag, cooler, water, gatorade, extra socks and T-shirt & some other odds and ends.

First off I had to get a pair of new tires for the truck as the old rear tires were getting more than a few age lines. I was on site when they opened for business at 8am and was 3rd in line. I was a bit disappointed with the time I lost filling out paperwork, and the fact the guy who got my truck couldn’t work the door lock. But the actual changing of the tires didn’t take very long, and I was back in the saddle before too long.

After tires, I met up with one of the local Search & Rescue teams for a few hours of tramping around in the brush with several varieties of man's best friend, looking for lost volunteers and fuzzy yellow tennis balls. It was my first visit with this particular group and they were pretty friendly. After a couple trips down, around and through the brush, we stood in the shade, rehydrated and chatted about how dogs get trained, how non profit groups are organized, gear, first aid and other fun stuff.

When it got too hot training was over I headed north to meet up with a couple buddies who have been wanting me to visit their local pistol range. Having buddies with similar hobbies is cool. Having buddies who share their ammo is even cooler. We took time out for some lunch, smothered and chunked for me, then packed up the buddy gear and headed out to the sticks for some target practice. Nice spot really, shady, great big fans moving the air around, not crowded at all. I figured Saturday afternoon would be busy but we were the only shooters on site. We fired my .45, buddy #1's .45, buddy #2's glock 9mm, with a few test rounds through buddy #1's .22 rifle and my 9mm beretta.

After we had killed off the evil paper horde and created a sizeable dent in buddy's stockpile of .45 rounds, we packed up the gear, visited with the nice lady at the counter a bit, examined the most recent crop of kittens under the porch and headed back to civilization for a weapons cleaning frenzy. There was some unhappiness when my bottle of Hoppes leaked in the gun bag, but no major harm done. There was much discussion of random topics, including: how slowly I shoot, the cute friendly waitress at the waffle house, whether or not one should clean a glock or watch movies with one's girlfriend (buddy #2 chose movies) and should Texas repave some of the goat paths they call roads.

All in all, a pretty good day.

Sunday
The original plan called for a trip to the Johnson Co. Shooting Sports Assoc IDSA match but I was wiped out and slept in instead.

I did get out of bed in time to meet up with buddy #1 for a cheeseburger before we packed up for a training session with another Search and Rescue group. We don’t have trailing dogs in training so after a couple runs we sat around the base camp chatting about policy, procedure, maps, gear, upcoming scheduled events and training. I’m new to the S&R world so they were trying to learn about me and I was trying to learn about them.

Another good day

I spent most of Monday sitting around the house, napping and drinking water. I’m not used to putting that many miles on my boots over the weekend like that, so I needed some recovery time.

Responsible informed ownership

All my platoon sergeants (well the good ones) said the same thing, “Never lose your bearing”. In my particular case, that phrase usually meant “Don’t lose your cool”. If you know a bit about reading between the lines, or maybe a bit about me, you probably realize it means: “thou shalt not physically, or verbally abuse any idiot, of superior rank or in view of anyone of superior rank”. Left to their own devices idiots frequently dig their own holes and I don’t need to point it out to anyone. Trouble is I don’t have much patience when some idiot gets in my face.

Case in point – the Army, Japan
[If you’re in a rush you can skip the story. I’ll never know.]

I park my car on my way to work. I get out of the car, (not as easy as it sounds as it was a small Japanese car and I’m not) and commence walking to the complex where I work. All is well.

Enter the stranger ---“That’s a crappy parking job”.

Stop. Turn. “Huh?” in the traditional ‘I wasn’t paying attention. Were you talking to me?” fashion.

I notice Stranger is the same rank as me. My lack of “Sir” and salute will not be a problem. All is well.

Stranger is not content with my response. “Can’t you see the lines? Where did you learn to drive?”

Now, in my world and many military places, ‘On time’ means 5 minutes early. At this point, my 5 minutes will probably be killed by the walk to the door and Stranger is holding me up here in the far end of the parking lot over what appears to be ‘parking symmetry’. Being late will terminate the current ‘All is well’ status.

Promote ‘Stranger’ to ‘Potential Idiot’ (PI).

Tune out PI’s ongoing verbal barrage.

Examine parked car. Note, car within painted parking lines in all four quadrants but by a somewhat narrower margin in the left rear.

Consider ignition key location, distance to driver’s door, probable time commitment for reentering vehicle and repositioning.

Carefully weigh desire to be on time vs. desire to appease PI.

Result: Walking faster and continuing to ignore PI will result in ‘on time arrival’. All is well.

Attempt to implement result. Path blocked by PI.

Promote Potential Idiot to Full Idiot status. (FI)

Internal self control gauge indicates “dangerous” level. All is not well.

I do not have the time to schedule this FI for an attitude adjustment.

I do not have time to fold myself in half and get back in this tuna can just so this FI will shut up about my parking skills.

Situation rapidly approaching ‘NOT GOOD’ status. Immediate Action required.

Turn. Grab rear bumper of car. Slide car the required 4 inches to the right. Release.

Note, FI has ceased verbal barrage.

Turn. Note absence of FI.

Re-initiate Plan A: “walking to work”. All is well.

Note, FI reached the door in record time.

Moral of the story: stay calm and idiots will find someone else to badger. No yelling or pummeling required.


What to do when some anti-gunner gets in your face? Be calm, cool, collected & informed (know your enemy). Never lose your bearing.

Know more than they do, know your sources & know your stats (gun grabbers love stats).Guy Smith over at Gun Facts has some good info on common myths and how to bust ‘em up. I grew up in a family of shouters so shouting is kind of a knee-jerk reaction for me in times of stress. I’m predisposed, you might say. I have learned over the years that people often (women especially) will immediately stop listening to WHAT you’re saying and focus on HOW you are saying it the moment you begin to yell. Calmly dispute their arguments and hopefully over time things will sink in. Never lose your bearing.

My personal approach I learned from an old army pal. He's used it effectively on people who come by, knock on his door and want to talk about religion. Instead of being confrontational and pointing out errors, simply ask questions. Where did you hear that? How many? Where can I find that info? If you get really good they will lead you right up to the very point you want to make, and the look on their face when they say it out loud is priceless.

Learn how the gun grabbers think. Hat-tip Artful Articulations. My arguments changed dramatically after reading this article by Sarah Thompson, M.D. http://www.vcdl.org/new/raging.htm

Our logical arguments are often lost on the grabbers and it’s frustrating when they refuse to see the light on even the simplest concepts like “criminals don’t care about the law, that’s why they are criminals”. Understanding how their minds work (or why they don’t work) helps us to know their motivations. I’ve always been inclined to lump people in the ‘too stupid to mess with’ category when their arguments don’t make sense. The fact they may have mental blocks and deep seated fears inhibiting their common sense and logic never occurred to me. Going off on someone who’s already spooked will only reinforce their fear and give them more ammo for their next encounter.

Unfortunately, scared people and misinformed people can still vote.

We have to know the law and know our politicians. Know how they vote, watch ‘em and yank ‘em up short when they try to do things we don’t want. It’s the information age; we can see it on TV or read it online or in the paper. We can use the media to help our cause.
http://www.keepandbeararms.com/opsd/

We can join together.
http://www.usconcealedcarry.com/
http://opencarry.org/index.html

"We the people". The government’s power comes from the people. It's time the government remembered it.

** it's late and proofreading is overrated anyways... if it's jumbled i'll fix it later

maybe.

because i can

Bought my first handgun a while back. Better late than never. SW1911PD

I actually put it back and walked off twice. I've been to the range with it twice and I wait not so patiently for TX to fix the open carry situation.

In the meantime, we've still got ccl.

Short Blade KA-BAR TX says I can't carry my big one if I leave home. I don't know how that works with fillet and skinning knives. I don't do any huntin' or fishin' but it makes me curious.

Next purchase, something a bit more compact for everyday under-wear. CZ-P01

ignorance of the law is no excuse

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum52/11621.html

Found a neat article about open carry. There are several good issues here, not least of which is the list of inaccuracies shown by the corrections posted with it. Read the whole thing, not just the little tidbit I picked out.

“But there are times when the response is more severe. Deveraux has been stopped several times by police, most memorably in December when he was walking around his neighborhood.

An officer pulled up and pointed his gun at Deveraux, warning he would shoot to kill. In the end, eight officers arrived, cuffed Deveraux and took his gun before Deveraux convinced them they had no legal reason to detain him.”

Interesting.

First let’s state prior to this discussion I applaud the police for responding with alacrity and in this case erring on the side of caution and safety. I’m sure they are doing a difficult job as well as they can.

Second the above incident is not the main subject of the article and as such not many details are provided.

That said I’ll go into some other aspects of the incident. The first issue that leaps to my mind is ignorance of the law.

Detained, threatened at gunpoint, surrounded, cuffed, and his property seized by the police for the crime of walking around his neighborhood. All because the police received a complaint by someone (I don’t for an instant believe the police just ‘happened by’ in a residential neighborhood without someone calling them) and didn’t bother to check out the legalities of the local open carry law. We’ll gloss over the fact that at least 8 officers didn’t already know the local open carry law prior to the incident.

I’m pretty sure I could find a few other articles involving law abiding citizens being accosted at gunpoint and forced to surrender their possessions in disregard for the law. I won’t bother, the Google search would have more results than I care to sort through.

Has anyone ever been stopped by a police officer inquiring as to what you’re doing? Of course you have. Has anyone ever been informed by a police officer of a violation of some facet of the local ‘thou shalt not do that in this town?’ Of course you have. Has anyone ever tried to use the ‘I’m sorry officer, I didn’t know there was a law against that’ defense argument? Of course you have. Did it work? Of course not, and it shouldn’t. We as citizens have a responsibility to know the law. (Ok ok, granted, the law has become so horribly complicated no one can ‘know’ it. That’s another topic for another day.) I don’t think using the ‘sorry sir, we didn’t know that was legal’ argument is any better.

Hmm. Cuffing pedestrians who might be breaking the law and THEN looking up the law. Neat-o. I wonder where that sort of trend will take us. Perhaps the police will be stopping everyone and demanding their papers next. LawDog, David & PawPaw all said it better than I can.

Sad, considering all the citizens who gave their lives in WWII to rescue the world from this sort of behavior.

Quite frankly folks, I don't know how I would react if I were confronted with a situation where the gov'mint or one of its reps, through their own ignorance, was demanding the surrender of my sidearm. Here's a related link if anyone is interested in raising the awareness of the local PD to avoid unnecessary confrontation Open Carry Forum. I was planning to look into it a bit deeper but my blood sugar is high and I'm losing focus so that's all you get for now.