*flinch*
*shudder*
He soaks in sand, dirt, baby powder, salt water — one after another.
*whimper*
And it keeps firing. No surprise. So he keeps abusing it.
He shoots it repeatedly with a .22.
*AAAaaaaaauughhhhhhhhhh!*
And throws it out of a plane.
*sob*
*cuddles my Glock 21 and whispers quietly that I’d never do such a horrible thing*
Drink something strong, and then go look at the pictures.
(via Say Uncle)
I’m not sure how this turned up on the main page of the local rag today, but I like it. The second half of it, anyway. So I’m going to share.
A nasty, dirty, testicle-free bastard broke into a woman’s home, here, back in October. He smashed through a basement window, beat her up, and raped her. A 57-year old lady. My mom’s age.
She told the police, but for one reason or another, they were unable to catch him quickly.
And then the douchebag came back a few days later for another shot at her. He cut the power and phone lines, and started kicking in the basement door. But this time, she was ready for him.
She tried to call 911, but couldn’t because the power was off. She got a shotgun and waited as the man began banging on the basement door. She fired when Preyer came crashing through the door. When Preyer collapsed, the woman escaped and went to a neighbor’s home, where she called police. Officers, who arrived within a minute, found a bleeding Preyer stumbling away from the house. He was taken to St. Francis Medical Center, where he died several hours later.
Swingle said the victim identified Preyer as the attacker in both incidents. [Ronnie W. Preyer, 47, a registered sex offender], of Jackson, Mo., had wet caulking from the recently repaired basement window on his clothing when he was shot.
“I will not be filing any sort of charge against this 57-year-old woman, who was clearly justified under the law in shooting this intruder in her home,” Swingle said.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what. you. get. Good for her.
Hmm. Same city, same issue, opposite end of the spectrum.
Not everybody here’s listening to Alderman Troupe, it seems, because this year’s gun buyback was a smash hit.
They came wrapped in blankets and paper bags, canvas cases or stashed in coat pockets.
Police paid $50 for handguns, rifles and shotguns and $100 for assault-style weapons. People were able to hand over their guns anonymously with no questions asked. The limit was five guns a person.
“I didn’t have no use for it,” said Leroy Cole, 58, of Jennings, who was handed $50 cash in exchange for the shotgun from his upstairs bedroom. “Of course this works for me. People have stuff like this and nowhere to get rid of it. It could end up in the wrong hands,” he said.
Police collected 997 guns, 10 of which were assault rifles.
Police paid $48,000 for weapons and spent about $3,300 for advertising. The department dedicated $57,000 in seized drug money for the event; the leftover money will return to the department’s forfeiture fund.
Board President Chris Goodson voted against the proposal, saying the city’s rising murder rate shows buyback programs do not have an effect on reducing crime.
This is unlikely to stop or slow any of the rampant crime downtown (especially since the bad guys can look up the folks listed in the article and be assured that there’s at least one less working firearm in their house — Smart, Post-Dispatch!). But I suppose if you’re getting rid of them, this is the safest way to do it.
Read the whole thing.
St. Louis City Leader Says Police Ineffective, Tells Residents to Get Armed
Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe said police are ineffective, outnumbered or don’t care about the increase in crime in his north St. Louis ward. St. Louis has had 157 homicides in 2008, 33 more than last year at this time.
“The community has to be ready to defend itself, because it’s clear the economy is going to get worse, and criminals are getting more bold,” Troupe, 72, said Tuesday.
Troupe said that when he and residents approached a district police commander last year, they were told “there was nothing he could do to protect us and the community … that he didn’t have the manpower.”
I have such mixed feelings about this.
First of all, he’s totally right. Violence is out of control here, particularly gun violence, and the police downtown are completely overwhelmed.
But I’m not sure that a hysterical clarion call for every citizen to “lock and load” is the solution.
I’ll explain why…
1. There is one firing range downtown. One. It has ten lanes. And unless you happen to stumble in on a class day, you almost always wait for a lane. Even on a weeknight. (And that’s before this alderman opened his yap.) It’s easy to get a lane on class day, because everyone sees 253,873 cars in the parking lot and leaves. Good for me, bad for impatient newbies who really need to practice. Old ladies like me and your granny, we’re ok with sitting on the couch with a book, or browsing the lovely merchandise for half an hour while we wait. But 20 year old kids? No way.
2. It’s hard to get a concealed carry license. Not hard to get qualified, but a lot of footwork and money. Which is smart, because it weeds out the folks who don’t really want it, but it also makes it hard on working class people and parents who really do want it. I don’t live in the city, but in the county, it’s like this: You have to take a class first, which is like $150, where they teach you the basic laws and make sure you can load and shoot both a pistol and a revolver competently. Then you take the form from the class, take time off from work, and run it down to the main police station (you can only go to one specific station) where you fill out their forms, pay another $65-100, and they fingerprint you. Then you wait 45 days (or less) for your ok letter in the mail. Then you take more time off work, and go back to the one police station with your letter, and they certify it. Then you try to get a copy of your birth certificate, if you don’t have a passport. More time and money. Then you take more time off from work, and go to the DMV and pay for a new driver’s license with your CCW endorsement. And they take your picture, so do something with your hair, for pete’s sake.
The people who live in these crime-infested areas aren’t made of money, and the current economy isn’t improving their financial status. Many of them will hear this panicked statement and scrape together the money to buy a cheap pistol, sure. And some of them will end up like this awesome lady, doing it the right way. But how many of them don’t own their own businesses, and can’t really spend another $300+, find a babysitter for the 9-hour class, and take all that time off from work, to learn safety lessons and good aim, and get a legal permit? How many of them are going to half-ass it, instead? Carry concealed illegally, and leave their brand new shiny pistol sitting on the coffee table where the kids can “play” with it, because no one told them it was unsafe? How many will buy a gun that they have no intention of ever actually using, except as a threat, and have it used against them?
I’m absolutely pro-2a, and pro-CCW, but I’m not sure intentional scaremongering is the right way to encourage it.
Ok, range report for the Ruger 380 LCP. I like it. (And luckily, if I hated it, I’d have no problem getting rid of it. At a profit.)
I read all of the reviews, so I knew it kicked, and it does. No shock. But I didn’t realize how spoiled I’d gotten with my Glock, as the pull on the trigger is literally more than twice what it is on the Glock. You pull and pull and, jeez, is it empty already? and pull and bang.
And the 380 is so small that you can’t use your second knuckle, like you can on some revolvers. (And I’ve already blogged several times about that being the reason that I hate revolvers.) It made my finger cramp after a few magazines, but it never made my whole hand cramp up, like revolvers do, and it didn’t drastically screw up my aim.
Which is not to say that it didn’t affect my aim at all. It did. I’m used to a gun firing when I say “fire,” not ten seconds (ok, ten milliseconds) later. And that means I’ll have to go in and practice until I get used to it. No worries there.
I wasn’t really in the right frame of mind, either. I let my aim affect my mood, so I couldn’t get to my laughing place where I’m all zen and my aim is really perfect. It was sort of a catch 22. Wonky aim, wonky mood, wonky aim, wonky mood. So by the last nine shots, I was still totally inconsistent (and my hands were almost numb), which darkened my mood until I walked out and range monitor told me (unprovoked) that I did great. Eh. Good, bad, good, bad. (It’s flattering that they always watch the girls, tho, somehow.)
As a carry weapon? I never hit outside the outline (one shot out of fifty did hit the shoulder, but the rest were 8 or better), and realistically, I’m never going to have to shoot someone 20 feet away from me (unless I freakishly end up in one of those mall massacres, god forbid). And frankly, I’m ok with hitting a rapist/murderer in the liver instead of the heart, if I only get one shot. It hurts more, and it’s usually still fatal.
Otherwise, what else? It’s not a bad fit for my hand. (And, as noted, I’m an amazon, and I don’t have teensy little girl hands.) I don’t think I’ll need one of those extended magazines. Funnily, the miniature version of the Glock 9mm felt uncomfortably small for me, but this doesn’t.
The fact that the slide doesn’t stay back after your last shot is a little annoying. I kept going, “was that five or six?” and I’m squicky about dry-firing. But as I said, I read the reviews, so I knew it was like that. At least you can manually make it stay back, if necessary, unlike the Kel-Tec. The pull on the slide is surprisingly tough too, maybe harder than my Glock. But that’s not inherently a bad thing, just a little shock after the Ruger .22 that I used in my ccw class.
I talked to my guru, and he asked what I planned to shoot. I told him that I’d had glasers recommended, and that I keep hydrashocks in my Glock. He suggested standard fmj, and when he explained it, it makes perfect sense. You don’t get much power from a 380 in the first place, because the barrel’s so short. So expansion is the least of your worries. You need as much penetration as possible. (What good does expansion do, if it doesn’t get thru a winter coat, or a rib or a humerus?) So I think I’m going to go with that.
As usual, feel free to offer suggestions, questions, blah blah blah. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some details.
Smartie, smart, smart.
FOXNews.com - Police Officer Shoves Finger in Gun to Stop It Being Fired at His Colleagues
Quick thinking, that guy. I had a friend in college who told me how this worked, and convinced me to try it. If you’re ever in a situation where you have a gun pointed at you, and it’s your last resort (personally, I can only negotiate sensibly until I lose my temper, and then it’s gone for good), jamming your finger in between the hammer and the firing pin will actually stop it from firing.
It also hurts. A lot. Just for reference.
I finally got my hot little hands on a Ruger 380 today. There’ve literally been only one or two per month trickling into town since early summer — and that’s one or two for all of the local dealers combined.
I was hesitant to get on any one shop’s waiting list, because then what if someone else got a few in, and I’d already put down a deposit somewhere else? So I was hoping to just stumble upon one… and then they all stopped adding people to their waiting lists because the lists were so long. *sigh*
I gave up today. One shop had received a few last week, and when I called this morning at 9am, they said it’d opened up a few spots on their waiting list. So I headed down at lunch to get my place in line.
I walked up to the counter, and said I’d like to get on the list, and they said “You don’t have to! We got a whole bunch in today! Take three, they’re small!” (Ok, I made up that last part.)
So I’m now a proud new mama. Pictures when I get home. You won’t believe how small it is. Even in girlie hands (ok, amazon girlie hands, but still…) it’s teeeeny.
Time for another poll. As mentioned, I’ll be getting my CCW license soon, and I obviously can’t carry my Glock.
I was window shopping at the range last weekend, and two caught my eye. The owner carries a Kel-Tec P-3AT (among other things), which is a .380. That seems a little low in caliber to me, but I also trust his judgment. It has a nifty laser sight in the grip that I would also get, if I pick this one. It’s tiny, and thin, which are major selling points. I’ve heard good and bad personal reviews about Kel-Tec, though.
The other one I liked, which is pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum, was the Walther PPS 9mm. It’s twice the price of the Kel-Tec, and it’s not much bigger or thicker, but it’s more than twice the weight. And, well, it’s 9mm, which is the smallest caliber that I’m really familiar with, to the point of trusting in a pinch. It’s much prettier, and something about the magazine release is so elegant to me. (Seriously, click the larger view link and look how pretty it is.)
Opinions? Feel free to make alternate suggestions, but no .22s and nothing that can’t be concealed ON A GIRL, in the summer. Think tighter clothes (but not tight, pervs) and no suit jacket.
So I’m taking a ccw class in the near future, and I figured it’d be sensible go down there and try their guns, since that’s what I’ll have to use to qualify. I wouldn’t have worried about it, except you have to use two of them, both .22, and one’s a revolver. Urg.
I went after work yesterday. The guy who runs the class is super nice, and he knows me (”I know you and I like you” is what he said. How nice is that?), and he set me up with all I needed. I tried the revolver first, because… I may have mentioned this in the past… I hate revolvers. I’ve been shooting pistols my whole life, and I just can’t handle that long pull. Halfway squeezed, my hand’s already cramped up like this, and my aim is just crap.
Ehh. Yeah.
So I was feeling like a loser when I switched to the pistol, a pretty little Ruger (I didn’t ask what make the revolver was, because, well, I didn’t care. Stupid revolver.). And then even dumber when I couldn’t figure out how to load the magazine and, after fumbling with it for five minutes, had to go back into the lobby and ask. Thank god for being a girl, at least. After showing me how it worked, about nine people told me the best way to save my thumbs.
I’ve never had a lot of respect for the .22. I mean, they’re fun when you’re a kid, but my grownup opinion (such as I am, which is not very) is that if someone breaks into your house to rob, rape, and kill you, shooting them with a .22 is just going to piss them off. Aiming for the eyeball is one thing if you’re wrestling with a shark, but a moving target ten feet away?
I had to give that disclaimer, because I have to admit I’m a little in love with the Ruger. (I refuse to take credit for the two shots in and around the eight. It jammed — more on that later — and the adorable, ginormous guy who un-jammed it took two shots. Ahem.)
I showed the targets to the guy who runs the class, and he said “that would have passed” about the revolver results, but I could tell he was disappointed, if not appalled, because he’s seen me shoot before. Then I flipped open the other one, and he was like “Phew! *cough* Oh, but that other one would have passed.”
So. When I professed my crush on the Taurus, I got some emails saying “Run! Run away!” What do we think of the Ruger? It’s sexy in a James Bond kind of way, and my aim with it is fierce for our first date, but, dude, it jammed. I’ve had my Glock for nigh on fifteen years, and it has never jammed once. Whenever I go to a range, one of the rules is “If your gun jams, set it down facing downrange and come get us,” and I’ve always snorted haughtily, knowing that wouldn’t be me. To be honest, it scared the crap out of me. I set it down like a hand grenade, not knowing what it was going to do. Go off? Explode? Create an interdimensional gateway to an alternate universe?
Now I may have just gotten bad ammunition, because one of the bullets in the revolver didn’t fire either. I wasn’t counting and heard the click and assumed I was done, but when I popped the second batch of brass out, one was unfired. So if you have one (I know at least one of you does, and probably more), do you see a lot of jams? Was it the ammo? Does it require an unusual amount of service and upkeep? And .22, really?
Hey now.
Missouri Car Dealer Offers Free Gun With Car Purchase
I wonder if it’s a nice one? (I kind of have a crush.)
Kidding. I’m holding out for a convertible hybrid, heaven forbid any automaker wises up and creates one (I’m looking at you, Saturn). Also, it’s “$250 toward either a gun purchase or gasoline,” and I’d imagine most people would take the gas.
