Nevada Supremes Weigh CCW Confidentiality: A lawyer for the Reno Gazette-Journal urged the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday to allow public scrutiny of concealed weapons permits, arguing that a district judge's ruling saying the permitting process should be confidential was in error. "Nothing in the statute mentions confidentiality for the permit itself," Scott Glogovac said during arguments on the appeal of Judge Janet Berry's ruling last year against the newspaper's request for information about Gov. Jim Gibbons' permit application. Deputy District Attorney Nathan Edwards told the justices the statute prohibits public access to applications for concealed weapons and to investigations pertaining to those applications. Once a person is identified on an application, everything that follows must be sealed, he said. "The statute does not say that information in the application becomes publicly accessible once the applicant becomes a permittee," Edwards said. Chief Justice James Hardesty said the court would take the case under advisement and rule later... http://www.rgj.com/article/20090602/NEWS/90602059/-1/news1802 --- "Smart" Guns and "Smarter" Guns: The NYPD really jumped the gun today in announcing the potential for "smart" guns that could prevent friendly-fire shootings. Police announced this morning that Pacific Northwestern Laboratory was in the early stages of developing weapons with radio transmitters that would alert cops to the presence of a friendly guns. The problem is that research is not being conducted - and the lab had planned to break the bad news to the NYPD at a meeting next week... Police brass had hoped the guns - which would use a radio waves so friendly guns would identify one another - could help avoid a repeat of the tragic death of Officer Omar Edwards, who was shot by fellow cop Andrew Dunton... But Harvey said the technology would not have prevented the killing - as the best such a system could do was say if a friendly gun was somewhere within 600 feet. And it would take up to two seconds for the radio waves to be picked up - making it useless if a decision to shoot has to be made in a split second... http://www.nypost.com/seven/06052009/news/regionalnews/nypd_gets_smart_172771.htm The New York Post today reported that NYPD may explore the use of so-called "smart guns" in an effort to avert tragedies like the friendly-fire death of Officer Omar Edwards. What the Post failed to mention - why would it? - is the obvious officer safety issue associated with a police weapon that makes any sound other than "bang!" A side arm that beeps can act as a beacon for the bad guys. In addition to that is the matter that all technology, no matter how advanced, can be "spoofed." ... (Assuming that the miniature computers in the guns worked more reliably than the larger ones on our desktops or our laps, what would this technology do if an officer is disarmed by an assailant or otherwise has his handgun stolen? For decades, officers from other agencies had to be careful what they carried in NYC because NYPD officers assumed that anyone with anything other than a two-inch or four-inch, blued-steel, fixed-sight Colt or S&W revolver was a "perp." The issue is training yet, to the best of my knowledge, NYPD patrol officers still get a total of only two days of post-academy firearms training a year and I believe that they are required to use vacation time for one of those days.) http://www.policeone.com/police-technology/articles/1839617-NYPD-may-look-at-smart-guns-A-dumb-idea/ --- Rule Four Reminder: Six-year-old Adrian Trevino was asleep in bed next to his 3-year-old sister, Aletse, when he was jarred awake by loud noises outside his window: a helicopter flying overhead, yelling, then rapid gunfire. Just as Adrian sat up in bed, a stray bullet pierced his Maryvale home and struck him in the back, permanently paralyzing him from the belly button down. A Phoenix police investigation into the 2006 incident determined the bullet, intended for an armed suspect who had fled from a traffic stop, had been fired from Officer Michael Conrad's assault rifle. Four other bullets Conrad discharged also struck the home; a sixth bullet hit a neighbor's house... Trevino's family originally filed a $26 million claim against the city for physical and emotional injury, medical expenses, lost wages and other damages. After three years of negotiations, the Phoenix City Council this week agreed to pay the family a $6.5 million settlement... (Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it. I tell my CWP students that we now understand that, in a moment of life-threatening stress, our brains may not perceive what's in the background, making it crucial to select carry ammunition that is not likely to exit its intended target. Unless the bullet that struck Adrian came through a window, the fact that a .223 round penetrated an external house wall is a matter for concern. Ironically, it was in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa that one of the seminal studies was conducted, showing that 55 gr. bullets, fired from .223 rifles, were less likely to penetrate such walls than those fired from pistol-caliber carbines and submachine guns. However, the shift to fast-twist M16's and M4's, coupled with heavier bullets in the .223 chambering, increases the likelihood of penetrating the type of exterior walls commonly found in the Southwest.) http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2009/06/06/20090606settlement0606-CP.html --- An Interesting Development: One of the challenges for fans of Mikhail Kalashnikov's Avtomat has been to find loads with modern expanding bullets. While steel-core M43 and lead-core M67 ball ammunition have been available on the surplus market over the years, there's been a shortage of good loads intended for self-protection. To a large degree, this was due to the glut of inexpensive steel-case ammunition available in 7.62x39mm. Hence, many ammunition companies ignored this cartridge simply because most shooters were only interested in buying the least expensive ammunition possible. Today, however, many shooters are interested in a high-end load for self-protection. Hornady, well respected for its TAP line of .223 Rem., 5.56 NATO and .308 Win. LE loads, recognized this need. So the company recently developed a very interesting answer to this existing hole in the 7.62x39mm load market... (I have expressed concern for a few years that those who rely on rifles chambered in Russian calibers, particularly 5.45x39mm, are leaving themselves vulnerable to an executive order banning importation of firearms and ammunition from Russia. On the one hand, I am gratified to see Hornady develop these loadings in both Kalashnikov chamberings. On the other hand, I remain concerned about the vulnerability of the supply of the imported cases. One can only hope that once Hornady establishes a market, they would be prepared to shift to admittedly more costly American, Boxer-primed, reloadable brass cases if access is lost to the non-relaodable steel Russian cases.) http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=553&Itemid=1 --- Gelatin Test Database: While searching for a an e-mail I received several months ago, I found one with a link to a site that catalogs results from a wide variety of handgun, shotgun and rifle projectiles fired into gelatin. Unfortunately, the internal links on the "new site" don't appear to be fully intact; if you are interested in this stuff, be sure to click the link for the "old site." http://www.brassfetcher.com/index.html --- NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to check the alerts for the week, posted on the NRA-ILA website. http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx --- From John Farnam: 31 May 09 Another illusion of "safety" shattered. This from a friend and student on the East Coast: "My neighbor's home was invaded early this morning (Sunday) by three, armed intruders. His Escalade was subsequently stolen, then wrecked in a crash during a police chase. Police used the car's OnStar to track the robbers. Two suspects were arrested. A third is still at large. This incident took place in an upscale, gated community in the "high-rent" part of town. I spoke with my neighbor this afternoon, and he is still severely shaken-up. He was downstairs watching television. His wife had gotten up and had been out with the dogs, so the house's alarm system was turned off. The dogs suddenly started yapping, but he assumed they were barking at a deer. Then, three guys in masks come duck-walking into the room! One produced a pistol and held it to my neighbor's head. His wife walked in to the room at that point, and they were both held at gunpoint. My neighbor has had no serious defensive training and does not carry a gun, although he says he owns one. My neighbor told the intruders that his Escalade was in the garage with the keys in it. The robbers then took several television sets, loaded them into the Escalade, and left abruptly, only to confront police less than an hour later. My neighbors lived through this incident, through no fault of their own! They both could have been easily been murdered. They know full-well how lucky they are, and they've definitely had their illusion of security permanently dissolved! During our conversation this afternoon, they earnestly asked me about guns and training. This time, it was not just a casual conversation, as it has always been in the past. You'll have both as students shortly!" Lesson: There are no "safe" places! "Safety" by virtue of "gated communities," alarm systems, even fast police response-times is all a collective illusion! When you are not continually equipped and prepared for an instant, precise, and lethal counterattack, any "safety" you're imagining is a convenient fantasy. Like cheap insurance, it all works just fine - until you have a claim! Enjoy it while you can. /John (The dogs barking is what is known as a "clue." Dogs and alarm system are merely layers in a protection system, which ultimately rests on your willingness and ability to fight back. I once had a home alarm awaken me in the middle of the night. I was not surprised to find that it had been set off by my sleepwalking son but I confirmed this with pistol in one hand, flashlight in the other and a ballistic vest covering my upper torso even though my lower body was still unclothed.) 1 June 09 Losers always have a plausible excuse for doing nothing. This comment on the last Quip: "The description of the home-invasion makes me believe that, even with training and guns, there probably would not been much that these two could have done. By the time he knew he was in danger, there already was a gun produced. With three-to-two odds, and with their guns already drawn, do you really think the victims here could have reacted fast enough to produce a different and positive outcome?" I don't know, but I'm sure you wouldn't, even as these sociopaths demanded you undress and then tied you up. I can provide countless examples where outnumbered/outgunned heroes acted quickly and audaciously and were ultimately successful in achieving victory, but to one with a permanent victim mindset, such inspiring illustrations fall on deaf ears. Only victims are victimized! If you're perfectly happy with your chosen victim status, little can be done to help you, and, frankly, I don't want you as a student! Who wait for perfect opportunities, die hesitating. Who live on hope, die fasting! In the end, we're all dead anyway. In the interim, others may do what they will, but, for one, they're not getting me without a fight, even one with poor odds. /John (Recall that the fatality rate from gunshot wounds in the US runs between 20 and 25%. Better to gamble on a gunshot while you are fighting back than to risk nearly certain death if you lie on the ground and get shot in the head to ensure that you won't be around to testify.) 4 June 09 The "System" is not protecting you. This update from the last two Quips: "In the aftermath of Sunday's home invasion, my friends are still badly shaken up. Both now fully realize thatgates, alarm systems, security patrols, and a quiet, affluent neighborhood all guarantee absolutely nothing! They were further depressed when they learned that two suspects who were apprehended shortly after the robbery Sunday, were out on bond Monday morning! This, despite having entered an occupied home armed, threatened and held the homeowners at gunpoint, ransacking the house, fleeing in a stolen vehicle, and leading police on a high-speed chase that resulted in property damage. In addition, both suspects already have extensive records of violent, criminal activity. What a 'system' we have, eh?" Comment: Anyone who believes that our "system of criminal justice" protects the innocent and prosecutes criminals is a naive fool! In retrospect, these two unsophisticated victims learned their lesson at relatively low cost. Next time, if they're still unprepared, they probably won't be so lucky. It's a tough, dangerous world. Take good care of yourself and yours. No one else is, nor cares! /John 4 June 09 Interesting fact on criminal violence: While guns and blades occupy the stunted imaginations of politicians and media alike, the greatest number of maiming injuries inflicted, world-wide, are imposed by the shod foot, usually striking the head of a victim already on the ground. Countless have suffered life-altering brain injuries from this single source, many more than have ever suffered a gunshot wound. As Operators, we thus need to be aware that the most pernicious threat isn't always represented by "armed" VCAs, but rather small groups of miscreants who, having brought down their quarry, will mercilessly lay boots to him. No glamorous weapons are required, just violent contagion among the mob and the protection of anonymity. Under such circumstances, we need to remind ourselves to stay in motion and on our feet. Generations of the world's youth have been immersed in "Identity Politics," shamelessly taught that violence directed at those outside their "Identity" is not only excusable, but is openly encouraged by unblushing politicians who hunger to see those who don't vote for them raped, maimed, robbed, and murdered. Even America is not immune. Here, unemployed actors openly advocate on behalf of convicted murderers of police officers! The result is a new wave of amoral, youthful, casual murderers, eager to "punish" all who fall outside their political identity, cheered-on by Washington and Hollywood alike. The stage is set for some exciting world history! Once again, there is no "justice" aside from what is created by the Righteous, on the spot! /John (Years back I attended a "defensive tactics" course at an annual seminar of the now-defunct American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers, conducted by a couple of Canadian cops. Their judo background was obvious when they went to locks in which they and their presumed assailants both ended up lying on the ground. My reaction was that if things got to the point where someone like a drunken lumberjack would actually assault a Canadian constable, I would not want to be lying on the floor, giving his buddies the chance to kick me in the head. In the space of about two decades, I have seen the growth in the popularity of ground-based grappling systems, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, both in and out of law enforcement. My own son trains in this art and has had multiple occasions to use it while working as a bartender. In one such incident, the girlfriend of one of three customers he was trying to peel off a co-worker they had taken to the floor decided to come to her boyfriend's defense. Luckily, she used a coin purse rather than a kick to strike my son above the eye, resulting in a small laceration and a "shiner" instead of a brain injury. Be aware of your surroundings and their occupants. An attack by multiple assailants, even if unarmed, constitutes a disparity of force which can justify your own use of deadly force.) -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .