US Navy

Happy 236 Birthday, US Navy and vets! Old NFO, Misfit, Lex, Bubblehead Les, etc., etc.

In Celebration of Midway

They turned the USF Constitution around, and fired a salute to the USS Carr in Boston Harbour Friday.

Cool.

How Can I Keep From Singing?

I do not celebrate, but I do appreciate the news of this day.  All the better that the SEALS are home safely.

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Robert Lowry 1869, Interpreted by Pete Seeger circa 1965. 

People ask me why I take my class to the range.

Particularly when I submit the ammunition bill for reimbursement.  I do it for several reasons.  First and foremost, firearms are a contentious subject.  Many of my students have never picked up a firearm in their lives.  I, myself, did not until a colleague in residency taught me.  Many people have a quite irrational fear of firearms.  Personally, I’m more frightened of chain saws.  I know how to handle a firearm safely.  I cannot say the same for a chainsaw.

Secondly, I find shooting to be an enjoyable pastime.  One has to concentrate on safety and proper procedures to get the bullet on the target.  I find it quiets my mind, and forces me to concentrate on one thing and one thing only.  I understand why some Zen practitioners use archery.  We both are trying to reach the same state of being in the moment.

Then, of course, it is difficult.  There is always pleasure in taking a difficult task and doing it well, be it a chess game, golf, cards, magic, carpentry, what have you.  Humans are weird, we and our fellow primates sometimes like to make things difficult for the fun of it.  Golf is the perfect exemplar of this behaviour.  Personally, I think a golf course is a waste of a good rifle range.  But it is hard, and therefore it’s fun.  To each their own.

Finally, it is a skill that can be used for self-defense.  More eloquent people than I have pointed out that firearms are a force equalizer.  And that the police, well intentioned though they may be, have no duty to protect anyone that they do not have a “special relationship” with.  [One doesn’t want a special relationship with law enforcement, it means one is in custody, and therefore cannot take care of oneself].  I’m a big fan of insurance and preparation so I can take care of myself if (God forbid) bad things happen.  I have insurance, fire extinguisher training, and emergency supplies in the car and the basement.

As Oleg Volk said recently:

Violence may not be exactly common but it happens from time to time. Just as I like having air bags and seat belts in my car just in case defensive driving isn’t enough, I like having some means of stopping purposeful evil from having its way with me and mine. And since I can’t be everywhere to look after my friends, the next best thing is to provide them with the skills necessary to fend for themselves. “Teach a man to fish” approach. Since I am no professional trainer, at most I can give someone a taste of the ability and they can get more serious training later on.

Tactics

If you get your knowledge of firearms from the media, instead of reality, you may be seriously inconvenienced, if not really, most sincerely dead.  TGACE is running a small series on tactics, and one thing to keep in mind is the difference between COVER and CONCEALMENT.

COVER is what bad guys cannot shoot through.  CONCEALMENT is what bad guys don’t shoot through because they don’t know you are there.  In my career, I’ve met several people who confused the two.  Not for long, however.

Q-ships

Malaysia has them. Hat tip, LEX. The Maylasian Navy has converted a container ship, the Bunga Mas Lima to an armed anti-piracy vessel to go out and act as a decoy off Somalia. No information is given on the kind of armament, but considering the Somali pirates are using Boston Whalers with kind of ratty AK-47’s, a couple Ma Deuces would be sufficient, and a Bushmaster would probably be overkill. As a matter of historical interest for stopping pirates, I think the ship should be armed with long 32-pounders. Those’d work just fine. But I think they should bring back the old uniforms as well.

One of Fifty Best Blogs

And one of the reasons why, is HERE.
Just go read.

19 November

Hat tip to Brigid for reminding me, but to day is the BUYcott ammunition day.  A good day for those law-abiding folks who enjoy the shooting sports to go out and support your local FFL. Yes, Wal-Mart has decent prices, but their not good to their employees, pander politically, and aren’t good for downtowns.  When I can, I want my money to go to the small businessmen.

And, as Brigid points out. 

There are an estimated 75 MILLION gun owners in the United States of America. If each gun owner or Second Amendment supporter buys 100 rounds of ammunition, that’s 7.5 BILLION rounds in the hands of responsible law-abiding folks.

I know and work with those people. That’s something I can support.

Interesting Conversations

How two guys waiting for a shop assistant at Wal-Mart to open the case can pass the time discussing CB caps vs .22 shorts.  I do wonder why Wal-Mart asks is the ammunition you’re buying is for a handgun.  I don’t know why the clerk asked, nor if she even knew the difference between a handgun and any other type of firearm.  The other guy said “No, it’s for my howitzer,” and she just nodded and smiled.

Personally, I’d kinda like to see a .22 caliber howitzer, I bet you could make one in O gauge, but that’s another hobby entirely.  Driving through New York I DID see a howitzer with a caisson on a U-haul trailer.  I assumed it was a reenactor of some stripe.