Last Words on Uvalde (For Now?)

Well Thursday and Friday’s events have knocked this one out of the news cycle. But I still have thoughts. What we saw (again) was a massive failure both before and after the event of government officials in performing their duties. Now I know they do not have a duty to protect, but I am starting to wonder if some accountability needs to be put in place. Should we codify what a mass shooting is and put penalties in place for those who stand around and do nothing? Should we codify chain of command policies that allow officers to effectively relieve the sire commander for duty for cowardice/incompetence and do what needs to be done? These are things I am thinking about.

They are what I’ll be thinking about when I go to vote to. I want the people who represent me to be interested in real solutions.

In Light of Today’s Supreme Court Decision…

Uvalde

First apologies for my absence. The friend with Cancer has been taking a lot of my time but it looks like that is quickly coming to a conclusion. So I am back. Obviously Uvalde and the resulting fall out to include RINOs endorsing gun control are a huge topic. But while innocent people are blamed for what went wrong. Those who could have stopped the tragedy are coming under increased scrutiny and justifiably so. Greg Ellifritz has a really good update with links to his original post at Active Response Training. I highly recommend reading both. Also there is this news story. Had this teacher been legally able to be armed and chosen to do so there is a fair chance she could have stopped the attack. Instead her police officer husband got to listen to her dying words on the phone as he was refused entry to stop the attack.

More on this later.

Storing Your Firearms

Never will you encounter a subject more likely to spark controversy. Well there’s 9mm vs 45, but everyone knows 10mm is King. So what’s Earl’s version of the best way to store firearms? Well I’ll tell you, but first I’m going to tell you what works for me may not work for you. You know the risks associated with owning firearms, how much of that risk you’re willing to tolerate is up to you.

When I had my house built I was facing the very real possibility of a home invasion because I was dealing with a violent stalker who had already tried on several occasions to “get someone to take care of me and my family.” So my guns had to be secure but some had to be immediately accessible 24/7 I also had a pre-teen in the house. This meant the idea of just keeping the gun in a high place was out. Personally I’ve never been a fan of that anyway. Especially once the little munchkins start walking. My earliest solution prior to that house was an electronic combination trigger lock that released very quickly and was easy to use day or night. But I didn’t have a stalker then either.

So my solution for keeping a gun secure but accessible during waking hours was simple. Wear the gun. Yes, that means I wear street clothes until I go to bed, but it is secure and accessible. Also if I needed the gun I didn’t have to try and get to it. So what about at night? For this I turned to GunVault I tried a biometric safe, but it would only open on the first try 40% of the time. So I went with a digital safe, specifically the MicroVault. Now if I had a bed frame or night stand I didn’t mind putting holes in I would recommend a SpeedVault. The benefit of this product is if you kept your bedroom door locked at night like I did you could leave the vault open and if you needed to secure the gun, you just close it. If your bedroom door is open for Nighttime munchkin traffic you could just keep it closed. The vaults open quickly when you input the code.

Now some may be saying “that’s not quick enough!” Remember when I said I’d had the house built? The exterior door frames were reinforced and ground floor windows coated with an antishatter coating from ShatterGard. I had dogs (including a guard dog), an alarm and even the master bedroom door was a solid core door in a reinforced frame and an exterior door lock. Anyone trying to get in the house was going to make a lot of noise doing so. I could access my gun in seconds, getting through the doors or windows would take longer than that.

Now for the next issue theft prevention. Solutions I have seen in use range from a door with a lock on it, to a 2,500 pound steel safe (put that in your home without adequate support and you will regret it). I found out the floors in my house would have a hard time holding a 90 gallon fish tank (which coincidentally had a similar weight to the safe and the guns I was planning on putting in it). So an actual safe was out. So I opted for a steel residential security cabinet (RSC), two locked doors and some misdirection.

Spend some time learning how thieves work and you’ll find the first place they go for valuables is the Master Bedroom. However, if they find a locked door that’s as good as a neon sign that reads “Valuables Inside.” So besides the alarm in my house that not only makes a racket and notifies the authorities I put a lock on all the bedroom doors and a lock on the walk-in closet that was not in my Master bedroom, but did have the RSC inside. Now they don’t know which door to choose and will likely still go to the master. Then they have to get through the reinforced door and find out there’s not much of value inside. Pretty good chance at this point they’re leaving. If not the rest of the doors are reinforced as well. Basically they’re going to have a bad time.

This secures my non-carry guns from theft as well as any curious munchkins. You might think my measures are a bit extreme, but remember I didn’t just have to worry about to whom it may concern issues. I had a specific threat that not only was threatening my life, but also knew there were valuables like guns in my house and hung out with people who would have loved to get them to make a quick buck.

So what works for you? That’s for you to decide. Personally I prefer a gun not in my possession be behind at least one lock. Especially if young ones are around.

Oops

Tried using a scheduling client to make posts apparently I didn’t do it right. Something new tomorrow.

What Handgun Should I Choose?

This is probably one of the most asked questions on the Internet, at gun stores or anywhere gun people gather that new shooters have access to. I know for the longest time I had my own prejudices when it came to what the perfect handgun was. I’ve grown up. So here is the definite answer; you’ll know when you find it.

Now some self styled cognoscenti will tell you to buy a Glock and be done with it. I own a Glock and I can attest to their durability, reliability and ease of maintenance. But if the Glock is “perfection” like they claim, why is there such a huge aftermarket of frame modifications and parts? I’m going to make a bold statement and say the Glock is the 1911 of the modern era. Great foundation, but you’ll pour a lot of money into it to get what you want. The good news is you’ll have a lot of money because a lot of modifications you can do yourself.

So, my advice? Make a list of what you’re looking for then go to ranges that offer rentals or ask people you shoot with if they’ll let you try some of their guns if you provide ammo. You might end up with a .22lr or a 10mm or something in between. But at least you’ll have picked a gun that both feels well and that you can shoot well.

Oops

Got sidetracked by a funeral and forgot to queue posts. Here’s some Friday Funnies while I gather my wits.

Friday Funnies

We Lost a Great Man Today

About an hour and a half ago I got the call that my Step-Father in Law had passed. Even though it was expected it’s still a heavyweight boxer punch to the gut. Jim was a Marine Veteran of the World War Two Island Hopping campaign taking part in several landings. But beyond that he was a great step-father to the most wonderful woman in the world. I have a lot of memories about him including his initial disapproval of his step-daughter moving in with me (I think the words were “I don’t approve of this shacking up stuff”), winning his respect somehow (I don’t know to this day how I managed), the look of joy in his eyes when he unwrapped a mint Colt 1903 .32 his step-daughter and I got him for Christmas, helping him remodel a kitchen and build a patio cover in the in-laws home they had bought. He was a special man, a great man and he touched many lives. All who knew him are better for it.

Until Valhalla, Semper Fi

Earl

I need a Rifle, what should I get?

Taking lessons from Ukraine I am of the opinion that you should select a rifle that is compatible with current US military issue. Note; this does not mean limit yourself to an AR15 (though everyone should know how to operate and maintain one). It means select one that can chamber and fire 5.56X45mm rounds and accepts STANAG (AR15/M16) magazines. If you live in a jurisdiction where these rifles are unavailable look for a bolt or lever gun that will fire the same ammunition.

Up next, the handgun.