Peterson & Self Defense

Ahh -- the gift that keeps on giving.  I heard about this word salad and figured I had to cruise by slowly to look at the wreckage (is that a mixed metaphor?).  As usual, the real action is in the comments.  From Joan Peterson, Brady Campaign to End Gun Ownership Board Member:

Find me a definition of self defense that doesn't come from a gun blog, gun website or Libertarian site that says self defense is a basic human right. Here is a definition from Dictionary.com- "self-de·fense [self-di-fens, self-] Show IPA
noun
1.
the act of defending one's person when physically attacked, as by countering blows or overcoming an assailant: the art of self-defense.
2.
a claim or plea that the use of force or injuring or killing another was necessary in defending one's own person from physical attack: He shot the man who was trying to stab him and pleaded self-defense at the murder trial.
3.
an act or instance of defending or protecting one's own interests, property, ideas, etc., as by argument or strategy."
Here is the origin of the word-" self-defense
1651, "act of defending oneself," first attested in Hobbes, from self + defense (q.v.). In sports sense, first with ref. to fencing (1728), then boxing (1820s)."
Don't see any reference to it being a basic human right. But you gun rights extremists have made this up to justify your views about guns.

Oh really -- tell me more about your world view on natural rights.

...what I meant to say is that there is not a definition for self defense that says it not a basic human right. In law, people have a right to self defense. But to call it a basic human right is just not true.

I will give her props for referring to a dictionary.  Progress!  However, reading comprehension is clearly lacking.  It seems that the rationale for defensive violence is included in the given definition, paragraph one above.  How would one "overcome an assailant" without use of force?  Very strongly worded screams of pain while someone slams your cranium against the pavement?

Well, let's see what some slave owning dead white guys thought about that.

To suppose arms in the hands of citizens, to be used at individual discretion, except in private self-defense, or by partial orders of towns, countries or districts of a state, is to demolish every constitution, and lay the laws prostrate, so that liberty can be enjoyed by no man; it is a dissolution of the government. The fundamental law of the militia is, that it be created, directed and commanded by the laws, and ever for the support of the laws.
         ---John Adams, A Defence of the Constitutions of the United States 475 (1787-1788)

John Adams is a big fan of the well regulated militia but even he admits that private arms obviously are capable of being used in private self defense.  It is obvious to him.

How about Roger Sherman:

[C]onceived it to be the privilege of every citizen, and one of his most essential rights, to bear arms, and to resist every attack upon his liberty or property, by whomsoever made. The particular states, like private citizens, have a right to be armed, and to defend, by force of arms, their rights, when invaded. 

Elbrige Gerry:

Self-defence is a primary law of nature, which no subsequent law of society can abolish.

Avid federalist (and suspected monarchist!) Alexander Hamilton:

"If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no recourse left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense."

James Madison:

"...the great principle of self-preservation" was a "transcendent law of nature and of nature's God."

How about this one?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

If one has an unalienable right to Life, then do you not have some right to protect that life?  The "right" to life would be fairly meaningless if someone else could take it from you at any time, would it not?  The entire legal and moral justification for the American Revolutionary war was the concept of "self defense."

Well, what about some non-white guys who didn't own slaves?

The Dalai Lama:

If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun. 

Christian Theologian Dr. Normal Geisler:

…to permit murder when one could have prevented it is morally wrong. To allow a rape when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch an act of cruelty to children without trying to intervene is morally inexcusable. In brief, not resisting evil is an evil of omission, and an evil of omission can be just as evil as an evil of commission. Any man who refuses to protect his wife and children against a violent intruder fails them morally.

Mainstream Christinianity is even ok with defensive violence.  Go talk to a military chaplain or a clergyman who works with police officers.

When Joan Peterson suggests that self-defense is not a legitimate right possessed by all people, she's taking the first exit off the highway into Crazy Town.  While a few limited jurisdictions like Massachusetts ban even basic defensive tools like pepper spray (some rapist might get all bleary eyed and wheezy, you know), the idea of self defense as an individual right is enshrined in centuries of English Common law, is fundamental to the American idea of governance, and is comfortably established in literally millenia of western ethical development.

Let's be very clear:  Joan Peterson supports the right of rapists, domestic abusers, and other violent criminals to freely abuse their victims, while facing no risk of defensive violence from the victims.  In her world view it is apparently morally unacceptable for a woman to double tap a rapist with an AR, hit a rapist with a round of buck center of mass, brandish a firearm at a rapist threatening violence, hit a rapist with a bat, spray a rapist with pepper spray, tase a rapist with a stun gun, hit/bite/claw/scratch a rapist, or even verbally defend herself by shouting and screaming.  Apparently victims just need to lie back and take it.  Then they can call 911 (if they survived) and the cops can put the case into the "cold case" files (or at best, maybe collars the guy where he may spend a few years in the pokey then be released) and the victim can get counseling to try and get over being traumatized while the attacker roams about to repeat their crimes again.

I'm sorry, but such a worldview is evil.  There is no other way to describe the enabling of evil individuals bent on violent crime when there are simple, easy to use tools available to stop them.

Perhaps Joan should get on an airplane to somewhere that aligns with her view of self defense, like North Korea.  Thank goodness she's helping floor the accelerator on Brady Campaign's descent into the dustbin of history.

Peek-a-boo!

A journalist talks to Vincent Gray, the Mayor of DC, about concealed carry:

I called Gray to ask him about his assertion that more guns mean more violence, noting that he himself travels the city with armed police bodyguards, a service not afforded the typical Washington resident. “Well, first of all, I’ve never even seen the guns that the security people have..."

I bet Vincent Gray has never seen his bladder either (that whole "being inside you" thing) but he still can wet his pants when it comes to the idea of law abiding citizens shooting gangbangers in self defense.

I don't ask for much when it comes to politicians, but object permanence would be a good start.

PT

I have lost six pounds in the last six weeks and think I have lost an inch or so around the belt.  My bench press has gone from a terrible number to a poor number (but a poor number that is almost a 100% improvement over the terrible number).  The (1) cold turkey from almost all empty booze calories and (2) gym visits 4/week or more and (3) walk to meals instead of driving plan is working out for me thus far.

Heather is doing 7KM runs with pup in under 40 mins.  Pup likes to run.  Maybe they will be up for a 10K soon!

Yay fitness!

Deficit Reduction via the 16th Amendment

Lately the so called "fiscal cliff" has been all over the news.  While the CBO predictions are fairly dire and honestly likely understate the hit to GDP and unemployment that would occur if tax hikes and budget cuts occur on 1 Jan, I have to say that some degree of austerity now is likely better to a total meltdown fueled by endless quantitative easing in fifteen years.  As a twenty something who can do math I've already written off my social security and medicare contributions (just think of them like charity, or a tithe) but it would be nice if my dollars still bought something useful in a decade or two.

In any event, since Washington seems hopelessly gridlocked, I've got my solution for how to fix America's gaping budget hole.

Ignore the 16th Amendment.

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

The 16th Amendment gives Congress the power to collect taxes however they want.  It does not require Congress to do so.  Why doesn't Congress simply apportion the deficit out by state then send each state a bill?  I could think of at least three "fair" formulas:

• Apportion the deficit by population, counting all adult legal citizens -- pretty much the original method but updated for the 21st century
• Apportion the deficit by population, counting all adult legal citizens plus some fraction of the resident alien population (dangerous as states might then demand representation for said resident aliens)
• Apportion the deficit by number of electoral votes (forces small states to pay more, but most small states also receive a disproportionate share in Federal dollars...)

The bill to close the deficit would be about $3333 per person per year.  Alaska has about half a million adult legal residents and a gross state product of around $45 billion.  Our bill would come to $1,666,500,000 -- $1.6 billion dollars.  Alaska's state operating budget is around $11.4 bn.  So this is not an unreasonable impossible to accommodate increase.

The good thing about this solution is that it allows each state to tackle a difficult problem on their own. If Kalifornia wants to increase income tax rates on the "wealthy" to 95%, well, fine.  Maybe they love LA and will stay, maybe they'll flee, who knows.  If another state wants to go after capital gains, sure, why not?  Maybe the effect on investment won't be so bad.  Maybe some states will deficit spend themselves and borrow money in hopes of growing their economy.  Maybe they'll cut services to cover Uncle Sam's bills.  Maybe they'll punt the problem to cities and counties and let them figure out how to raise the dough.  The point is that there are a lot of ways to skin the cat.

When you have a really difficult problem to solve, one technique is seeking "emergent solutions."  This is the "laboratory of democracy" deal.  Why not let States get the bill and figure out how to pay it?  Why do we need a "grand bargain" to get everyone to agree on One Plan at the federal level?

Also as a plus -- States might decide that this is ridiculous and use their powers under the 10th Amendment and the amendment procedures to exert their sovereign authority once they're on the hook for spending.  Maybe we'd actually see some sort of balanced budget drive, or reigning in on inflationary monetary policy, or accountability for politicians.

What are you thankful for?

I'm thankful I can head out to the range and shoot a full-auto.

November's RSO shoot was this morning.  I brought handguns and long guns both but never made it out to the rifle side!  I started off just running the drills I can't normally run at the range - drawing, malfunctions, rapid fire, etc.  Then I was lured into playing with other people's range toys, including an uzi and a 45-70 revolver that nearly smacked me in the face.  Then a few of us started off a competition based on time and points.  And then it was time to go.  Fun times!

Ethics

Our favorite Brady Campaign Board Member is at it again.

She had some sort of word salad out there and I caught that she mentioned Fareed Zakaria.  For those who don't know, Mr. Zakaria is a journalist who works for CNN and Time Magazine.  In fact, he's an editor at Time.  He was also caught plagiarizing an article on gun control.

I pointed out this out.

Me:  Wasn't Fareed Zakaria suspended by CNN as well as Time and forced to resign from the Yale Governing Board for plagiarizing an article about this issue?

Mrs. Peterson:  Yes. Here is the article about it- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/10/fareed-zakaria-plagiarism-new-yorker-time_n_1764954.html
It was an article written by Jill Lepore of the New Yorker. I have linked to her article in previous posts. It's a great article, by the way.

Notice that she does not care about the significant ethical lapse of plagiarism; indeed, she is well aware of it.  Now, I'm not one to engage in unjustified ad hominem attacks.  I'd have no problem tearing apart the ideas in Lepore/Zakaria's article (it would be fairly trivial to do so, I think).  However, I think there are some serious issues to be raised about a "journalist" (and editor -- its all Point-of-View-InfoTainment I guess) who we know has basically stolen material.  It signals a serious breach of professional ethics, a lapse in personal judgement, and a need to question the professional integrity of the person involved.  The act also shows a lack of respect for the ideas of the victim whose work is used without permission.

On one hand, thank goodness that our political opposition is so intellectual weak as to see no ethical issues here, shouting the praises of a known thief from the rooftops.

On the other hand, fewer and fewer people seem to see any issue with such personal behavior, which bodes poorly in the long run for the triumph of the law abiding and conscientious.  There is very much an "ends justify the means" sort of reasoning going on here.  "So what if he cheated/lied/stole?  He's got good intentions and is going in the right direction!"

Stupid or Evil?

A gun store owner in Arkansas is freaking out about some 12 gauge ammo that will punch through soft body armor.  Of course the media laps it up.  Someone should Do Something!

Look, Mr. Cabot:

• The round in question generates over 2000 ft-lbs of energy.  That exceeds 30-30 ballistics. Guess what...  rifled slugs...  perform like rifle rounds.  Crazy!
• The NIJ Standard for Level IIIA (the best soft armor out there) is not rated for rifled shotgun slugs.  Many of the vests will stop a shotgun slug but there is no guarantee.  That is why things like "K30" trauma plates exist, to provide some increased protection for a soft vest against these types of threats, and ultimately, rifle plates for rifle threats.
• I see no evidence that the round in question was designed for any sort of penetrating effect.  In fact, it is a fragmenting hollow point type design designed to dump tons of energy into a soft target at closer ranges.  There is no penetrating core.  That would make it a great hunting round assuming it does not destroy too much meat.  This round cuts through soft armored rated for pistol rounds because it is a rifle round for all intents and purposes, not because it was designed for barrier penetration.

So, this guy is either retarded in that he doesn't realize that any rifle round (including slugs from a rifled shotgun, which is basically a big rifle) will penetrate soft armor vests, or some sort of useful idiot who hopes to profit by banning imports of foreign made ammo.  I suspect that many small gun store owners hate the easy importation of Wolf, Prvi Partizan, surplus, and other ammo from overseas because it cuts into their bottom line.  Why pay markup at a local brick and mortar place when the internet has the same stuff cheaper?

I suspect it is the latter explanation.  If you go to the guy's website you'll find he sells all sorts of AR-15 style scary looking rifles that would qualify as "assault weapons" in Kalifornia.  In fact, they are all he advertises.  Clearly he is not morally opposed to selling weapons which have the capability to penetrate soft armor (heck, even if he had a 30-30 and a .270 deer rifle on the wall he'd be selling "sniper rifles" that can punch through soft armor).  So this seems to be about whipping up a media firestorm to restrict people's right to purchase ammunition elsewhere so that he can make a profit gouging the locals.  That's evil.

I'm a big fan of patronizing businesses that respect your rights.  It'd be nice if businesses could be apolitical and just focus on the bottom line, but in the firearms world, politics and business are inextricably linked together.  The question to ask a business owner like Mr Cabot is:  "Are you stupid and uneducated about the fundamentals of your business, or just evil and greedy?"

Black Friday Part Two

Even in the wake of the post-election frenzy you can put together an excellent defensive package of gear for under a grand.

SIDEARM:  $540

• Glock 19 at Aim Surplus for $369
• Fobus Holster at LAPG for <$20 with sale
• 500 rounds of FMJ for $100 from Aim Surplus
• 50 Rounds of JPH for $50 (multiple sources)

BODY ARMOR:  ~$250

• Level III Plates from TheTargetMan, coated with anti-frag (<$200 depending on options)
• Carrier from Red Cat Tactical ($25-50)
• 2xSurplus heavily worn kevlar panels "for testing only" from Bullet Proof Me ($40) w/ police carrier ($10-15)

LONG ARM:  $150 - $1250

• M4gery with optic from Palmetto State Armory for <$1K
• Put together your own AR for around $500
• 10 x AR mags from DSG for $100
• 300 rounds of SS109 for $129 from AIM Surplus
• Take advantage of one of the Black Friday 12 gauge deals for <$200
• Savage Axis bolt gun with optic for <$300 

TRAINING:  $50-250

• Appleseed is running a promotion on training right now for $50 and is almost certainly available within a day's drive for most people.  If you don't have a .22 LR rifle then you could use your regular one if willing to pay for ammo or make arrangements to borrow one (many instructors are happy to help).
• You can get excellent pistol/rifle training at Front Sight as well and certificates are floating around for the $200 and under price range.

Even in the post election frenzy you can put together quality kit for under a grand.  You can have a quality service sidearm, body armor for that "worst case oh dark thirty home invasion," some sort of long arm, and training.

Black Rifle Friday

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thanksgiving has got to be my favorite holiday of the year.  I love the food, football, and family.  Regrettably I had to travel away from home this year so I was missing two of the three, but at least football was on.

I have been able to take advantage of Black Rifle Friday sales, though.  There aren't many great deals on firearms stuff out there for obvious reasons but there are a few if you look.

I was able to find PMAGS for $10 (DSG Sales), a set of Level III rifle plates for <$200 (TheTargetMan; front, back, and side, formed shape, professionally coated to prevent frag), a Fail Zero BCG/Bolt/Hammer/Firing Pin for ~$200 (Brownell's), a Spike's detachable carry handle sight for $70 (AIM), I also picked up a trigger and lower parts kit for the virgin receiver destined to become a High Power Service Rifle; they weren't a super great deal but it was a fair enough price and it saved on S&H.  So I guess even the internet has "door busters."  I missed the cheap S&W M&P 40 mags from Aim regrettably -- they sold like hotcakes apparently.

Palmetto State Armory has some pretty good deals on too, but I just couldn't make it square out with the S&H and other costs added on top compared to other etailers.  They just didn't have the stuff I needed.

That means I pretty much have everything needed for the Service Rifle except for an A1 stock kit.  Fulton Arms has new ones for $90 with buffer tube and all so that may be the way I go, but I am in no rush given that they have no sale right now.  I don't feel a need to rush out and buy stuff now when the market is tight if there isn't a good price.  For example, I think $200 for the Fail Zero kit is pretty fair; a standard LMT kit runs about $130 normally so a $70 premium for the NiB coating is pretty reasonable.  But I wasn't about to pay $30 for a regular charging handle.

Unlimited Hunter

Exciting news -- the folks over at Unlimited Hunter have effectively asked to sponsor the blog!

I'm not exactly sure what path forward beyond Google Adsense I want to take on such offers.  I know that Ryan at TSLRF has had good success with his sponsors.  I am personally not comfortable making any endorsement of a business I haven't had dealings with personally so I will be looking to place an order with them in the next few weeks/months (Black Friday, anyone?) and will report how it goes.

An initial look at their site is fairly promising.  I especially like their price match guarantee.  It is tough to find someone who will match prices on the internet.

FTC Note -- I did receive a small, unsolicited donation from Unlimited Hunter, which brought them to my attention.

Four ARs: Literature Review

A few days ago I postulated a scenario where four ARs might be handy, either has a primary and alternate for a spousal team, or as gear for two sets of spouses.  With "Black Rifle Friday" and all the sales coming I figured I'd put some thoughts to paper on an ideal foursome of such rifles, but with a more defensive civilian spin on things.

A brief literature review sheds light on solutions selected by other organizations.

• The US Army equips a four man fire team with 2xM4/16s, 1xSAW, and 1xM203 40mm.
• A US Army stryker squad replaces one M4 with a SDM with M14 or an anti-tank guy with Javelin.
• The USMC rolls with a 2xM4/16, M203 and SAW as well.
• The Brits go with a rifleman, 1x40mm, a LMG, and an L86 which was originally sort of a SAW but is now used in more of a SDM type role.
• Early American WW2 "firegroups" had a rifleman, MMG, and a SMG.
• Today, the Taliban in Afghanistan like to roll with 2-3xCarbine, 1xMMG (PKM), and 1xRPG.
• Soviet Motorized Rifle Squads had seven folks, with a LMG, an RPG, and AK-74s.  Soviet-inspired forces still roll with similar organization.
• Examples from the LEO world are harder to find; I suspect that SWAT teams have a division of labor but it is hard to find a standard, consistent model.  While 40mm is less common, they do often use gas guns.  Instead of SDM, they have more dedicated sniper type platforms/capabilities for hostage rescue and overwatch/cordon duty.  I haven't seen too many LEOs with light machine guns, but then again our local Sheriff department got an APC from DoD, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them rolling with some SAWs.

Out of all these diverse groups there are a couple themes.  Riflemen with carbines form the base or backbone of any team.  A machine gun (usually a LMG chambered in an intermediate cartridge) is almost always present to provide suppression and long range accurate fires.  Almost everyone brings along a grenadier, either RPGs or a 40mm type system or a gas gun.  Precision fires in the form of a SDM type role have been gaining ground lately.

Bird Dog

Finally got out to a NAVHDA training day today!  I learned tons and Kodi did very well considering her age and training.  I have more direction now as to what to work her on, and I even found a training buddy with a dog the same age as Kodi.  Definitely a fantastic day with super nice people, great food, and fun dogs.  Who could ask for anything more?

I knew Kodi was birdy after using pigeons in the back yard but... hoo boy is she birdy!  She was so very, very angry that we wouldn't let her chase the quail she found, and once she figured out how to hold the pheasant we set her to track (which was about half her size) she took off in the opposite direction for me.  She even waded in ice-cold water to get a dead bird.

End Times

You just have to know that the end times are nigh when twinkies, smith & wesson, and gold seem like reasonable investments to preserve wealth.

Deal Alert-Red Cat Tactical

If you're looking to get into the body armor game, then I'd suggest checking out Red Cat Tactical on EBAY.  They bought out all of DiamondBack Tactical's old inventory, so the stuff there is legit US made quality gear.  The plate carriers take a proprietary soft armor, but you should be able to squish NIJ panels in there.  The carriers do take standard size plates (small 8x10, medium 8x12, large 8x13).

Instead of spending >$100 on a BANSHEE, I was able to pick up a bunch of carriers from $15 to $40, along with lots of other cheap goodies like a hydration pack.  Wait for a sale or an auction on the tiem you want, or negotiate using "make a deal."  The cheap price allowed me to get high and low profile carriers for each of us.  Not a bad deal.

Now, we'll see if the order arrives as advertised!

Four ARs to Rule Them All: The Scenario

Thought Experiment:  You have a preference for the 5.56 (and AR in particular), but are not necessarily tied to it, and want to get four rifles.  You want to use them for daily life (plinking, competition, maybe hunting, etc) but also be prepared for a bad scenario.  Let's make some assumptions explicit about scenarios.

MISSION:  Your are envisioning a worst case scenario along the lines of the LA Riots, a situation where open carrying of rifles may be appropriate.  More likely is a home invasion.  In the worst case situation, your primary plan is to leave the area in your vehicle(s).  If you have the money for four ARs you do have enough money for a tank of gas and a few nights in a Holiday Inn, right?  However, there's a chance that like those Korean Shopkeepers you may be bunkered down in place.  D.ismounted foot movement is not very likely because the primary plans are to drive or bunker down, but is always possible.

THREATS:  The most likely case, a home invasion, is around four thugs with revolvers, shotguns, and maybe one or two sets of soft body armor.  The most dangerous scenario is the LA Riots or post-Katrina.  In this case you're talking either a large group of people on foot with clubs, molotovs and maybe some shotguns and revolvers and maybe a few rifles, or smaller but more mobile and perhaps better equipped groups of 4-20 individuals traveling in 2-3 cars or on a few motorcycles...  The home invasion crews on steriods with some buddies.

FRIENDLIES:  You plan on 2xfairly well trained shooters (yourself and your buddy and/or awesome spouse) who have been to a few Appleseeds for the fundamentals, been to carbine and handgun skool, and are proficient in the fundamentals.  Maybe a little practice with team tactics.  You also plan on joining up with two additional responsible adults with at least minimal firearms training who can run an AR safely given an hour of familiarization and dry fire; say, someone with a DD214 (non combat arms), a guardsman or reservist (non combat arms but qualifies occasionally), a hunter who plinks from time to time, someone who did three gun or high power for awhile back in the day then lost interest, etc.

We'll assume that you can roll in 2-3 vehicles (both couples) which are pretty standard American cars (a sedan, a truck, and an SUV or something).  I think this is pretty realistic.  If you and your spouse haven't been to Gun Skool yet it is time.  And if you don't know another local couple or some in-laws or something who you could trust to help convoy out of the Big Easy when the flood is a'coming then it is time to meet your neighbors.

TERRAIN:  We'll assume that you live in typical suburbia on the outside of a decent sized city, which is why you want to leave as a primary game plan.

TIME:  This is likely a shorter duration contingency, as the primary plan is to leave and find a holiday inn that is not on fire and/or being flooded.  However, if you have to hunker down, things could drag out over a week or so.  The LA Riots lasted for a week, and it took at least a week to untangle Katrina, so that is plausible.

CONSIDERATIONS:  We are not talking full on Mad Max metal death match turbo derbies with flaming skulls and colanders   Even in a Katrina or LA Riots situation, if you use deadly force on another human being there is a high probability of your actions being investigated.  We are also considering movement out of a dangerous area with a minimal number of responsible adults who are probably also escorting some non-combatants like children or older folks.

So, what four rifles do you pick, assuming a bias for the 5.56 (but being willing to consider other options)?

Yeah, when you work security details and carry a rifle for 79 hours a week this is the kind of stuff you muse about.

Goals

Boy, I've really slacked on the "what did you do to prepare" posts.  Still, I've been super productive and busy.

Professionally, I am working 12 hrs/day, 6.5 days a week in some fairly austere conditions.  It sucks but you got to pay the bills.  Guys on the North Slope have it a lot worse (then again they may get paid more).  So obviously that keeps me busy.

I just finished a certificate program I've been working on.  That should help me out professionally which is good.  I'm about six credits away from finishing my Master's so that will hopefully be in the rear view mirror soon too.

I started a new workout regimen.  I've always been heavy on cardio about three days a week, and frankly it doesn't work great for me because I get bored.  I've started a more disciplined lifting and cross-training type regimen and that seems to work a lot better.  It keeps me interested and the shorter but higher intensity and more frequent workout routines really seem to fit my busy schedule a lot better.

I've also cut out a lot of the junk from my diet; I am eating a salad + yogurt for lunch five days a week and junk food just once or twice, with pretty healthy breakfasts and dinners.  Skipping the desserts, too.  I've lost a few lbs in the last two month and am starting to get into the swing of things at the gym; I have gone up a few pounds of weight on all my sets.  PT FTW.

I pulled the trigger on a bunch of body armor rifle plate gear.  I've got a set of steel rifle plates, "DIY de frag" kits, and a bunch of plate carrier/MOLLE stuff en route.  That will probably be a post in and of itself.

Working 78 hours a week, PTing 5 days a week, and still getting my school on -- definitely keeping out of trouble...

What have you done for significant self improvement lately?

Outside

As some readers might have gathered, Heather and I have temporarily been displaced from our beloved Alaska for work reasons.  We still visit regularly though and hope to be back for good soon!

So I finally got around to changing the header:
A blog about firearms, self-defense, politics, hunting, personal responsibility and other topics that catch our interest by a couple from the frozen north, temporarily displaced to "Outside."

:(

Thinning the Herd

I am putting a lot of serious thought into thinning out the safe queens in my firearm collection.  I have a few rifles that, while they may be nice, I cannot think of any practicable use for for me.

Marlin 1894CSS.  I have a nice 357 carbine customized by Wild West Guns.  The carbine is a feather to carry (6 lbs) and well balanced to shoot, shoots around 1.5 MOA from the bench with cheap ammo, is quick handling and fast on target with nice ghost ring sights, pretty inexpensive to plink with, and lightly recoiling for anyone to shoot.  I've taken small game with it hunting.  In fact, my first stew pot ever was taken with the rifle.

The problem is that if I want to plink I am going to choose either .22 LR, cheap Russian ammo, or maybe bulk 5.56.  If I want to hunt, I'm going to shoot something I feel comfortable will bring down the animal.  While plenty of deer have been taken with 357, I feel like it is on the light end to do the job ethically.  I either grab my 45-70 (brush) or 308 (open) for hunting.

Right now I'm thinking of ditching all the .357 guns and perhaps replacing them with .44 if I want a carbine that's lighter to carry and kicks less than the 45-70.  Partnered with the rifle is a .357 Ruger GP-100 revolver that would also be swapped for .44.  A .44 carbine should put out something like 13 ft lbs with magnum ammo, which is half a 45-70 or a bit more than the 30-30.

Marlin 39M.  I have a wonderful near mint condition straight-stock .22 carbine.  Its beautiful.  The wood is lustrous.  It shoots 0.5 MOA from the bench or better with bulk pack ammo.  It also lives in the safe.  I am afraid to take it out for plinking or hunting because it is so beautiful I do not want to scuff it.  So, it sits in the safe, gathering dust, while the Ruger 10-22 gets brought out regularly.

WASR-10.  I picked up an AK for a pretty good price.  Yeah, it has some TAPCO crud on it but it also came with the original wood furniture (I haven't bothered to put it back on).  Its an ok shooter for an AK, running 4 MOA or so with cheap surplus ammo from the bench.  The ammo is dirt cheap.  The thing is that I am standardizing on the AR platform.  I want to invest my muscle memory and training time on the AR platform.

I am not sure what role an AK plays in my safe, other than as a familiarization platform and as a cool part of my C&R oriented military rifles collection.  I feel like this rifle either needs to be cleared out, or I need to double down on it by getting a second rifle chambered in 7.62x39 (whether it be a bolt gun, an SKS, a mini-30 or another AK likely) so that DW and I can run something in another caliber if we want to.

I also have a bunch of C&R bolt guns but they are generally inexpensive and useful.  I'm not sure what I want to do with these safe queens, though.

30-30.  DW has a cheap 30-30 which she is not attached to much at all as a deer rifle.  Kind of redundant with all the other hunting rifles, especially if we go to the .44 carbine.

Luckily I don't have to decide right away.  I'll have to stew on this for awhile and figure out what's going and what's staying.

We are Screwed

I think it is helpful to put the US budget in smaller numbers so it is easier to understand how screwed we are. Imagine your household made $24.5K last year. Based on the past five decades of experience or so, you figure that if you squeezed and scrimped really hard and took a second part time job you could get that income stream up to around $30K, but that would be a historic high. You also anticipate a 2% raise next year.

Meanwhile, the household spent about $4.5K on interest payments for debts, $7K on fixed expenses like food/housing which are really hard to cut, $8K on medical bills (also hard to cut), $7K on security & insurance & car payments, and $11K on everything else for a total of $37.5K going out.

That means the household had to borrow around $13.5K to pay the bills, running the total household debt up to around $160K. That is how screwed we are. It is basic math at this point.


All these numbers are easily verifiable; $1000 billion = $1 trillion, and all I've done is convert the figures from, for example, $2.45 trillion of tax receipts to $24.5K.  I did round a bit.

What does this mean going forward?  Well, imagine that this was your household budget.  You have a $13.5K gap to cover.  What would you do?

• First off, you'd take the second job immediately.  The budget problem cannot be solved on the spending side alone.  That means jacking total tax revenues up to the maximum we've seen in the post-WW2 era.  That obviously will have broad impacts on the middle class; you don't jack up total receipts to the highest they've been since WW2 by just hitting the top "1%."  INCOME:  $5.5K.
• You cut the "easy stuff" by at least a third.  Going out to eat (Department of Ag), the summer vacation and your landscaping (the National Parks, and, heck, the entire Department of the Interior), the foreign exchange student you planned on hosting (the entire State Dep't) -- anything that is discretionary.  SAVINGS:  $3.5K
• You cut the "hard stuff" by at least 10% total.  That means scaling back on medicare/medicaid, social security, and defense.  They make up roughly equal chunks of the budget so you can mix up the cuts however you want; for example, one could cut defense by 30% and not touch the others.  SAVINGS:  $2.5K.

To your dismay, even after all that coupon-clipping and belt tightening, the household budget is still showing $2K in the red for the year.  Oh, and, your accountant tells you that all that "hard stuff" is projected to INCREASE in cost, significantly, not to decrease, so if you don't touch the medicare/SS part of it you'll need something like a 50% cut in DoD.  If anyone thinks that you can ratchet up tax revenue collection to historic highs, or that we'll see a ONE THIRD across the board cut in discretionary spending, you're smoking something they now sell in Washington and Colorado.  Oh, and you and your spouse (the opposing political party) strongly disagree with everything each other wants to do and will obstruct any effort to change anything.

Moreoever, based on the recent election it is absolutely clear that the people will not tolerate broad spending cuts.  They have no appetite for it.  Finally, consider that federal spending is only about half of all gov't spending; most local and state governments have racked up huge debts and are running big deficits too.  So, the overall problem is really very understated by the above simplified example.

The purpose of this exercise is just to show the dramatic actions needed to stave off fiscal disaster.  Even if one party got everything they wanted and more (historically high taxes and a 1/3 cut to the DoD) and the other party got much of what they wanted (elimination of one or more federal departments and solid restraint on entitlement growth) we're still screwed.

We.  Are.  Screwed.  Its basic arithmetic.

Price Gouging

The hot thing for the Attorney Generals in the Northeast these days is clamping down on price gouging.  After all, how dare those greedy business people profit from human misery!  Its just wrong!

Take the example of a guy from NY who drove to an area that had gas and picked up 50 gallons (in non-approved containers).  It looks like his intent was to drive back to his area it Staten Island and sell it, likely at a high markup.  He was arrested for hoarding gasoline and presumably the gas did not make it to Staten Island.

The AG can pat himself on the back for taking a dangerous "hoarder" and "gouger" off the streets but where does that leave the people on Staten Island?  Instead of a choice between "absurdly expensive gas for $20/gallon" and "no gas," then simply can have no gas.

The way I see it, there are only a few ways to deal with the fact that demand for certain goods (plywood, batteries, bottled water, gas, etc) and services (roofers, tree cutters, etc) goes sky high after a natural disaster.

• Prohibit price gouging and force merchants to charge normal prices.  The result of this is shelves which are empty, as any fool will run down and clear out the Wally World of every C cell battery and 5 gallon gas can in the first 12 hours.  Some greedy hoarder may even roll in there with a credit card and clear out the entire stock.  Additionally, there will be little incentive for out-of-town merchants and providers to show up and help.  Why go through the trouble of relocating to a new market, complicating your taxes, complying with a new set of local laws, and moving goods/equipment to lose money (or to make a profit equal to or less than the one you could make at home)?
  
• Prohibit price gouging and force merchants to ration supplies in some other manner to stretch the limited supply.  An example of this is the "even odd" license plate rules imposed in NJ.  Another example would be a limit on the number of batteries you can buy.  These are somewhat effective in that they prevent the scenario of one dude rolling into Lowe's with a platinum visa and buying up all the plywood.
  
  However, we still run into the problem of entrepeneours having little incentive to bring resources into the area.  A restriction like this is also easily circumvented and predictably will lead to cheating or corruption.  And if you want to talk fairness, why would it be more equitable for a single person to only be able to buy a quarter as many batteries as a family of four, or for a person with only one car to be permitted to buy half the guy as a family with two?
  
  This is also a problem because it encourages wasteful consumption.  I read one New Yorker whining about not having gas to drive his kid to school.  If he had to pay $20/gallon, he might consider letting Johnny stay at home for a few days and help clean up the place.  Heck, Johnny might even learn some life lessons cleaning up the neighberhood.  Gas would be available for those who really needed it, for example, to reunite with separated loved ones or get to a job obligation they absolutely could not miss.
  
• Allow price gouging.  Under this scenario, private business has a strong incentive to rush materials and labor to the affected area.  The problem is that you are basically screwing over lower income people who cannot afford the inflated prices.  Instead of arbitrary rationing the resources based on "how quickly you got to Lowes first come first served" or "number of people in household" or "license plate number" you are doing it based on ability to pay.
  
  The simple solution if this bothers you is to provide some sort of stipend to people.  For example, you could state that anyone in a federally declared disaster area can claim up to a $1000 refundable tax credit for supplies and services purchased within one week of the event with a high (50-100%) reimbursement of costs, understanding that as you approach 100% fraud will increase.  I'm sure that some sort of pay day loan type entrepenour will figure out how to turn $1000 in April into $500 right the heck now for the really low income people, probably much faster than FEMA can parachute in green eye shade wearing accountants with briefcases of cash and EBTs to pass out in the projects.

There is no way around the issue of resource scarcity.  The only question is whether we divide up a small pie of resources (plywood, gas, generators, tree removal specialists, carpenters, roofers, etc) "fairly" based on ultimately arbitrary criteria (family size, license plate number, birthday, etc) or create a larger resource pie and divide it up "less fairly (based on factors like "ability to pay").

If you were shivering in the dark and had no gas for your generator, would you prefer to have the choice to buy gasoline at $20/gallon, or the choice to buy no gasoline at all?  Because the choice to get all you want at normal prices or for free is not a reality.  That is a fantasy.

Steel Armor Project

A few days ago I posted about upgrading to rifle plates.  I've done a bunch of research and finally opted to pull the trigger on steel plates.  As I finally priced out the options this is what I was looking at.  All prices are for two complete set ups (his and hers).

• MASS III Plus or MASS III:  $2000 + $800 for side plates
• Ceramic Lvl 4 Standalone:  $600 + $400 or so for side plates
• Steel Lvl 3:  $285 + $40 for side plates with anti-frag upgrades

As you can see, the ceramic option more than doubles the price and the high-speed low-drag MASS plates are almost ten times the price.  There are three other advantages I see with steel:

• Durability.  These will likely never be used.  I want something I can throw in a trunk or be abused for a decade or two and still be viable.  Ceramic can crack if it is roughly handled and requires inspection.  Steel should never go bad.  I can also repurpose the steel for plinking or vehicle armor. 
• Thin Profile.  Ceramics will be at least 3/4."  The steel baseline is 1/4".
• Did I mention it was half the price?

I know I'm giving up some things with the steel.

• Weight:  The steel will probably end up weighing about 3 lbs heavier than ceramic.
  Mitigation:  I'm willing to accept the weight as the primary uses are static defense (at home), short-duration wear (response to home invasion), and mounted movement (bugging out in the car in things ever go Katrina-esque).
• Protection:  Level 4 protects against Armor Penetrating 30-06 and all 5.56 including AP "green tip."  In comparison, the AP rounds will slice through steel, and even plain old FMJ ball can punch through Level III at closer ranges (should hold at 50 yards, may hold at 50 feet, but not likely).
  Mitigation:  First off, rifle threats are not likely at all.  Handguns and shotguns are much more likely.  Of the rifle threats, I'm most concerned about common hunting calibers and rounds, which tend to not be armor piercing.   5.45 and 5.56 are less concerning than 7.62x39 and 30-30.  I would like more robust 5.56 protection at it is fairly common but that is a compromise I will have to live with.  I am not concerned about AP 30-06.
• Fragmentation issue.  When bullets hit steel they splatter all over the place.  The folks at AR-15 have some pictures of the frag and it is no bueno.  Intermediate rifle rounds splattered over an inch deep into ballistic gel.  The frag pattern is 360 around the plate.  It shreds plate carriers.  Obviously getting hit with frag is better than taking a rifle round to the chest but I would prefer to get hit by neither.

Mitigating the frag is do-able, luckily.  Folks have tested a variety of solutions and found that truck bed liner and Kevlar works pretty well.  In fact, the DoD used a compound very similar to Line-X truck bed liner on plates for awhile to deal with the frag issue.  DIY truck bed liner is cheapest, with about a half inch being successful at halting frag from multiple hits.  This runs about $40/plate to have it Line-X'd professionally or a bit less than half that for DIY.  I want to keep my plates thin, however, as one of the best advantages of steel is its lower profile thin nature.  I also want to be able to "demote" the plates to vehicle armor if I ever happen into something better, so I want them to be able to fit inside map pockets.  Finally, I want curved plates and the truck-bed-liner-only method has not been proved on the curved ones (and it is harder to do, as well).

So, my solution is one which has also been tested -- wrapping the strike face in kevlar.  I got three yards of 60" wide Kevlar KM2 fabric for $50.  The KM2 is the version used by the .mil for armor applications.  The KM2 I got is the loosest weave offered -- only 400 denier -- but I checked the specs and it is still as strong as older products that were used for years for ballistic vests so it should be adequate for frag.

Five layers of Kevlar have proven successful at containing frag from 3-5 hits.  I'm going to do one complete wrap of each plate, then another three wraps of the front, three extra layers for an inch or so around the edges where the frag spirals out too, then a final complete wrap.  I figure the top and bottom wraps will help hold everything in place and provide some limited protection from spalling, although I'm not too concerned about that.  It will get locked down with industrial strength adhesive from Lowes ($20), then I'll put one coat of truck bed liner ($20) around everything for environmental protection to keep everything dry and maybe another layer or two on the strike face for extra frag protection.  I may finish off with a can of spray paint for aesthetics.

Each layer of Kevlar is about 0.01 inches thick, so with ten layers or so I'll turn a 0.25" plate into a 0.35" plate more or less.  Another tenth of an inch of truck bed liner and I should still be under a half inch thin.  All told, the frag protection add-on will run around a hundred bucks to coat two complete sets of plates.  If I were willing to do it with just truck bed liner it'd be about half that.

I may even order an extra side plate and just confirm that the kevlar wrap method is effective myself rather than trusting the internets.  For the price why not?  I expect the project to take a few months to really finish but I'll keep you posted.

Adding Another...

There we go.  I am now officially an NRA rifle instructor.  I am amassing quite the pile of certifications here, but this silly job thing is keeping me from really using them.  Well, that and the ridiculous business laws of this locality.  Still, this will only expand my ability to volunteer my time to try and hook people on shooting the way I was hooked.

Self Defense Weapons in NY

Following Sandy there has been a revival in self defense in NY.  Here's some gems.

Here's the Kel Tec KSG getting some action -- or, the NY Post is retarded.

 

Chris Lane, a 50-year-old resident of the Coney Island Houses, put together a small arsenal with his double pump action gun.  Lane said he scared off a bunch of thugs skulking around the hallways of his building when the storm struck Monday night. 

“They were roving in packs, not just one or two people. I had more than a little something, too,” Lane said, referring to his weapons. “I let it be known that my floor is off limits.”

Meanwhile, another resident plans on unleashing her attack snake:

“I would take a looter with a boa. If I felt threatened I would definitely use it,” said Keone Singlehurst, 42.

I think if I was going to select an exotic animal for self defense I'd prefer to opt for a hyena or lion or something, but hey, whatever works.

Irene vs Sandy

Last year I was visiting my folks in the northeast when Hurricane Irene hit.  A day or so before the storm, I was walking with my mother, talking about the CERT course I was currently taking.  She expressed some confusion as to the point of the CERT course.  We have police and firefighters after all!  Just after the storm we were walking down the same road, full of fallen trees and downed power lines.  "This is why we have a CERT program."  I said.

Fast forward to now.  When Hurricane Sandy hit, my father was in the process of completing his CERT course.  My mother had already completed hers.  Both of them spent their nights working at the town's refugee center, and are continuing to work there even though mom is back to work at her day job.

I'm very proud of them!

"It's Been Three Days!"

“We’re going to die! We’re going to freeze! We got 90-year-old people!” Donna Solli told visiting officials. “You don’t understand. You gotta get your trucks down here on the corner now. It’s been three days!”- New Yorker

Hey, New Yorkers, did you not pay attention after Katrina (2005)?  Did you not pay attention after your regional power outage (2003)?   What about 9 freaking 11 (2001)?

The cool thing about hurricanes is that you can see them coming.  You get at least three day's notice, if not a whole darn week.  Let's come up with some simple, cost effective plans that would avoid the problems many folks in NYC are facing.

PLAN A:  DON'T BE THERE

Get a greyhound bus ticket and go visit family members or friends somewhere else.  If you don't have family or friends outside The City, then go on a vacation (if you have a few hundred bucks) or make contact with a church or other charitable institution and see if they'll put you up, or go camping somewhere else (if you have some basic Boy Scout level hobby stuff).

PLAN B:  SHELTER IN PLACE WITH THE BASICS

- Water:  Fill up your tub with water.  Buy a jar of the portable aqua tablets from the sporting goods section (<$10).  Fill up some two liter soda bottles with tap water.

- Food:  Head on down to the local supermarket and pick up 5 lbs of rice, 5 lbs of beans, and some canned food.  Don't forget a manual can opener.  If you don't have a BBQ grill get a little camping stove, and bam, you will not starve.  You can get 4-person-weeks of food for less than $35 if you buy staples (beans, rice, wheat, etc).  Buy double what you need (i.e. drop an extra twenty bucks) and have some for charity or store with a friend or neighbor or family member in case you have to leave your house.  The deluxe plan is to order a case of MREs.

-  Warmth:  Army wool blankets cost $10 surplus.  USGI ponchos cost $15 surplus.  You can get a full USGI Sleep System with bivy sack for $100.  For $20 at Goodwill I bet you can get sturdy shoes and warm jackets.

- Fuel:  If you live on Staten Island and have any type of yard -- even a little postage stamp -- why not store 10 gallons of gas in the back yard under a tarp if you have a week's notice?

- Bug Out Ability:  Get your kid's school backpacks.  Put warm clothes, poncho, a water bottle, a portable aqua tablet case, and some MREs or the aforementioned rice & beans in the backpack.  Bam -- you will be warm, fed, and hydrated even if your house is wiped out and you're on foot in the gym of the local elementary school.

This is not rocket science.  For around a hundred bucks or less you can cover the fundamental necessities of life.  With a week's notice you can order the stuff to your door from the Internets before the storm hits.

Obviously it is sad and tragic for the individuals who have lost their homes.  However, hurricanes don't just sneak up on you.  There is plenty of notice.  Even the government suggests that it is folly to have less than 72 hours of basics on hand.  It is not hard to acquire these supplies, nor is it expensive.