North Texas Tactical Combat Handgun 1

So, all finished with class, and safe and sound back at my residence in TX.  I'll give a detailed account of what we covered in the next few days, but for now, a general list of comments.

-What the hell happened to the 80 degree day we had yesterday.

-Pay Up. And as a reward, he's a legal liability waiver...

-Awareness Color Chart

-OODA loop (no, not the loop de loop)

-Carry a gun regularly = 90% of your waking hours :)

-Things may not always be as they appear.  People standing around with hands in their pockets, be careful, they may just have a plan to kill you (which could very well include having a J-frame snubby in that pocket)

-Pistol will either be indexed down range, or holstered.

-Front site. Press.  Front Site.  Press. 

-Draw.

-Failure to stop drills DNE 2 to the COM and 1 to the head.  Address the body, and then address the head.

-Wait, you want me to do what now?  Sit down and shoot the target with my ass on the ground? OK.

-Now laying flat on my back!?!?!?  OK, we can try that too.

-You shouldn't see shoeleather when you're looking through the sites.

-1,2,3,4,5,6 drill.

-Move and Shoot!

-SCAN!

-FINGER!

-Walrus story (which I'll tell you is kind of cool, but you have to attend a class to find out what it is!)

All in all, a very very worthwhile day, and if you can possibly make it up to see these guys, well worth the time and effort!

PSH taken to new heights....

My head fairly exploded this afternoon when I read this account of how John Wahlberg was rousted by the campus police after giving an oral presentation in his Communication 140 class.  Apparently his discussion of concealed carry on campus was so threatening that the professor filed a complaint against him.

Mr. Wahlberg gave an oral presentation as part of a class assignment, the topic of that presentation was school violence.  It is undeniable fact that a concealed handgun on a victim's person is the best and most effecient way of stopping a mass shooting.  The only way to stop the psycopath is to force him to stop, and if he's got a gun, you better hope you've got one as well.

Mentioning such a topic as part of a communication class is not a threat, no matter the audience.  If the mere mention of concealed carry on cmapus  is enough to inflame Ms. Anderson to report the student, then she is definitely a hoplophobe.  To report the young man to the police for the matter is simply inexcusible.  Not only should Ms. Anderson apologize to John immediately, she should be fired, and barred from ever teaching again, if only to protect the children! 

--Jim

(H/T kahr40)

Quote of the Day

"I guarantee you the next place you go won't have a toaster oven, two fridges and a snack shelf."

In reference to the trailer that we work out of at the jobsite.

--Jim

Pistol Drills

Jay.Mac over at Cryptic Subterranean posts this video of Clint Smith performing malfunction drills with several firearms at Thunder Rance.  If you're going to carry a firearm for self defense, it is well worth your time and knowledge to learn this kind of stuff.

--Jim

XD45 vs. 3" 1911

So a week or so ago, Jay over at MArooned asked if anyone had any first hand experience with a Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry (a 3” Kimber 1911 with CT Lasergrips) and an XDm. A recently returning shooter that Jay had gotten back into the sport was asking for advice about the two.

I don’t have either of those exact models in my collection at home, but I have things that are relatively close, and I told him that I’d do an in-depth review and comparison of the two firearms, and post it on my blog, so here we are.

The actual guns that I have in my safe at home are a Kimber Eclipse Ultra and a Springfield XD45. There are a couple of differences in the guns that I have vs. the guns that Jay is asking about. My Eclipse Ultra has a stainless steel frame, vs. the aluminum frame found on the Ultra Crimson Carry. My XD differs from an XDm in that it has a slightly different shape, a different texture on the grip, and does not have a “match” grade barrel installed.

I purchased the Kimber Eclipse Ultra in January of 2008, and it came from the shop with a set of CT lasergrips already installed on it. The gun was “used” at the shop, but was less than six months old. The dealer (who I am now friends with) had sold the gun to its original owner. The pistol didn’t appear to have any wear on it what so ever and the price was most excellent. I ended up taking the pistol home that night, even though it was absolutely my first 1911.

** As a quick side note, the customer service guys at Crimson Trace deserve a huge thumbs up. I started having problems with the grips almost immediately after I took the gun home. The grips were extremely dim when they would light up at all. I sent CT an email, and they told me to ship the grips back to them and they would repair them at no cost to me. I made sure to tell the rep. That the gun was bought used, with the grips on it already. The rep told me it didn’t matter. True to their word, I received the repaired grips in about a week, no bill! That’s customer service! **

The gun is fairly heavy, even for it’s small size, which helps with the recoil just a little bit. Recoil is still stout, but by no means is it unmanageable, and I actually prefer it to some of my .40 handguns. The gun is a dream to carry, with the possible exception of the weight. The night sites included on the gun are bright, and extremely fast in either full daylight, or low light conditions. The only real complaint I have about the gun is that my fingers are not quite long enough to naturally come to rest on the activation buttons for the CT grip (because the buttons are on the side of the grip, as opposed to the front).

About 3 months after I bought the Kimber Ultra, I purchased a Springfield XD45 for BAG Day 2008. I LOVE my XD45, and it is my primary carry piece. I carry mine in a Brommeland Max Con V IWB holster, and it is very nearly as comfortable as carrying OWB. The magazine capacity is very nice at 13 rounds, although in MA, that is limited to 10 rounds due to laws (boo hiss). I haven’t made any changes in my XD45 yet, although I am planning on purchasing a set of night sites for it, and I might but a set of Crimson Trace Lasergrips on it at some point in the future.

I find myself carrying my XD far more often then I find myself carrying the Kimber Ultra. I think there are really two reasons for that to be the case. I tend to think of the XD as much more of a working gun, I don’t mind if it gets scratched, or worn, and I think that marks on the finish of the gun add to it’s appearance (it couldn’t get much uglier then when it left the factory!). I think the Kimber is much more of a pretty gun, or more of a BBQ gun, something to carry openly when I’m in the right setting. The other reason I’m more likely to be found with the XD on my hip is holsters. I have a very nice IWB holster that is custom made to hold an XD45, and the retention on it is excellent. I have a factory leather holster for carrying the Kimber Ultra, and the fit and finish are not as nice as my XD leather.

A better holster would probably lead me to carrying the Kimber slightly more often, but all things considered, I’d probably still revert back to the XD. I just don’t enjoy shooting the Kimber as much as I enjoy shooting the XD (probably due to muzzle flip).

Kimber Pros:

• Smaller Pistol
• Nicer Trigger
• Night Site
• Crimson Trace Laser Grips

Kimber Cons:

• Increased Muzzle Flip
• Smaller Mag. Capacity
• Short Site Radius
• Condition 1 Carry (Not a con, but can be perceived by the untrained as unsafe)

XD Pros:

• Longer Site Radius
• Larger Mag Capacity
• Reduced Muzzle Flip
• Simpler Operation (no manual safeties)

XD Cons:

• No Night Sites
• Larger Pistol
• Longer & Heavier Trigger
• Bladed Trigger

If anyone has any additional specific questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments.

--Jim

Illinois Carry Law Article

From Dustin, we hear that Allen Mueller is in favor of a carry law in Illinois, and he's in favor of carry on campus.

I'm not sure that Illinois will make the jump from no provision for CCW to allowing carry on campus, but I certainly wish them luck.  When I'm trying to go somewhere from Indiana, I avoid at all costs going through Illinois, because my right to carry my firearm is worthless there.

When I fly though Chicago on my way between TX and IN, I've often considered what would happen to me if I had to retrieve my luggage due to a missed plane, or some other problem.  I would hope that I'd be covered under Federal Transportation Laws, but I certainly don't want to end up as the test case.

Goodluck it Illinois, if they pass a shall issue law, and will recognize my Indiana permit, I'm far more likely to visit the state!

EMS Article

AD puts up an awesome article over at EMS1.com. Well worth your time and effort. Check it out.

(H/T Lauren)

Who says Facebook...

Is all bad?

A buddy of mine was nice enough to put this up on my wall just now.

http://obamaclock.org/

Please pray the man does not get elected for a second term.  He's been in office a month, and has spent more money then GWB spent on the entire Iraq war... and the money that Obama has spent won't do any freaking good.

Weekend Plans...

So I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was considering going up to take a class with these guys. I am in fact planning on attending the session that they are having on Saturday morning, but prior to that, I'm planning on attending the TSRA dinner. My plan for the weekend at this point looks like this:

I'm ducking out of work a little bit early tomorrow afternoon, and driving up to Mesquite TX tomorrow afternoon. A short trip to the hotel I'm staying at will take care of a quick shower, and a set of clean clothes. I'll attend the dinner (hopefully get some pictures, but I'm not sure.)

I'll go back to the hotel and crash for the night, before getting up (probably around 5:30ish) to drive across Dallas to meet up in Weatherford TX. A full day in the classroom and on the range (been told to bring 400 rounds, I think I have 500 packed...) and then driving back to Franklin.

I'm planning on attending the class and using an XD45 Service in a Blackhawk Serpa holster, with Blackhawk mag carriers. I had a leather snap holster ordered, and it was supposed to arrive this week, but it doesn't look like it will arrive in time. Plastic it is. I'm also taking my Glock 19 as a backup in case I run into problems with the XD while we are shooting.

Anyone want to meet up in the Dallas area, shoot me an email, I know it is short notice.

--Jim

Stupid People...

Keep EMS in business.

I hope she recovers successfully, and doesn't have too much permanent disfigurement, but I wouldn't bet on it in this case.

How dumb do you have to be to soak your hair in gasoline, indoors, in the middle of winter?

That's just ASKING for trouble.

O.B.A.M.A.

(H/T Theo Spark)

Just Wow...

Curiosity of SayUncle, we get this priceless gem.

I'm sorry, but... WOW..

That's all I can say.

Those guys need some more fun time with an AR-15 or an M4.

Sorry...

For the lack of posting...

I managed to get a weekend at home (I get one per month per contract) and spent the weekend in Indiana. I'm planning a couple of posts as a result, and I have a comparison post to put up as soon as I get it put together.

In the mean time, I'm also planning on hitting the TSRA dinner on Friday night, and going to North Texas Tactical Combat Handgun 1 on Saturday!

Let me know if you're going to be at either!

February 15, 2009

Op-Ed Contributor

The Coming Swarm

By JOHN ARQUILLA

Monterey, Calif.

WITH three Afghan government ministries in Kabul hit by simultaneous suicide attacks this week, by a total of just eight terrorists, it seems that a new “Mumbai model” of swarming, smaller-scale terrorist violence is emerging.

The basic concept is that hitting several targets at once, even with just a few fighters at each site, can cause fits for elite counterterrorist forces that are often manpower-heavy, far away and organized to deal with only one crisis at a time. This approach
certainly worked in Mumbai, India, last November, where five two-man teams of Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives held the city hostage for two days, killing 179 people. The Indian security forces, many of which had to be flown in from New Delhi, simply had little ability to strike back at more than one site at a time.

While it’s true that the assaults in Kabul seem to be echoes of Mumbai, the fact is that Al Qaeda and its affiliates have been using these sorts of swarm tactics for several years. Jemaah Islamiyah — the group responsible for the Bali nightclub attack that killed 202 people in 2002 — mounted simultaneous attacks on 16 Christian churches in Indonesia on Christmas Eve in 2000, befuddling security forces.

Even 9/11 itself had swarm-like characteristics, as four small teams of Qaeda operatives simultaneously seized commercial aircraft and turned them into missiles, flummoxing all our defensive responses. In the years since, Al Qaeda has coordinated swarm attacks in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, Yemen and elsewhere. And at the height of the insurgency in Iraq, terrorists repeatedly used swarms on targets as small as truck convoys and as large as whole cities.

This pattern suggests that Americans should brace for a coming swarm. Right now, most of our cities would be as hard-pressed as Mumbai was to deal with several simultaneous attacks. Our elite federal and military counterterrorist units would most likely find their responses slowed, to varying degrees, by distance and the need to clarify jurisdiction.

While the specifics of the federal counterterrorism strategy are classified, what is in the public record indicates that the plan contemplates having to deal with as many as three sites being simultaneously hit and using “overwhelming force” against the terrorists, which probably means mustering as many as 3,000 ground troops to the site. If that’s an accurate picture, it doesn’t bode well. We would most likely have far too few such elite units for dealing with a large number of small terrorist teams carrying out simultaneous attacks across a region or even a single city.

Nightmare possibilities include synchronized assaults on several shopping malls, high-rise office buildings or other places that have lots of people and relatively few exits. Another option would be to set loose half a dozen two-man sniper teams in some metropolitan area — you only have to recall the havoc caused by the Washington sniper in 2002 to imagine how huge a panic a slightly larger version of that form of terrorism would cause.

So how are swarms to be countered? The simplest way is to create many more units able to respond to simultaneous, small-scale attacks and spread them around the country. This means jettisoning the idea of overwhelming force in favor of small units that are not “elite” but rather “good enough” to tangle with terrorist teams. In dealing with swarms, economizing on force is essential.

We’ve actually had a good test case in Iraq over the past two years. Instead of responding to insurgent attacks by sending out large numbers of troops from distant operating bases, the military strategy is now based on hundreds of smaller outposts in which 40 or 50 American troops are permanently stationed and prepared to act swiftly against attackers. Indeed, their very presence in Iraqi communities is a big
deterrent. It’s small surprise that overall violence across Iraq has dropped by about 80 percent in that period.

For the defense of American cities against terrorist swarms, the key would be to use local police officers as the first line of defense instead of relying on the military. The first step would be to create lots of small counterterrorism posts throughout urban areas instead of keeping police officers in large, centralized precinct houses. This is
consistent with existing notions of community-based policing, and could even include an element of outreach to residents similar to that undertaken in the Sunni areas of Iraq — even if it were to mean taking the paradoxical turn of negotiating with gangs about security.

At the federal level, we should stop thinking in terms of moving thousands of troops across the country and instead distribute small response units far more widely. Cities, states and Washington should work out clear rules in advance for using military forces in a counterterrorist role, to avoid any bickering or delay during a crisis. Reserve and National Guard units should train and field many more units able to take on small teams of terrorist gunmen and bombers. Think of them as latter-day Minutemen.

Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen all responded to Qaeda attacks with similar “packetizing” initiatives involving the police and armed forces; and while that hasn’t eliminated swarm attacks, the terrorists have been far less effective and many lives have been saved.

As for Afghanistan, where the swarm has just arrived, there is still time to realize the merits of forming lots of small units and sprinkling them about in a countrywide network of outposts. As President Obama looks to send more troops to that war, let’s make sure the Pentagon does it the right way.

Yes, the swarm will be heading our way, too. We need to get smaller, closer and quicker. The sooner the better.

To quote Tam: Carry your damned guns people!"

Article seen here.

They Remember...

But they haven't learned.

Illinois still has no carry provisions, and has certainly not allowed carry on campus.

Today marks one year since the shooting at NIU. Nothing regarding proactive protection has changed. Such a shame.

Gun Sign I'll Support

Post it where you'd like. I think I'm going to give one to my favorite shop owner.

Make sure you visit the owners website. I might pick up a copy of his book.

(H/T Shooting the Messenger)

Guns for Liberals

Sent to me from a friend via email.

Feelings instead of Facts... Again...

Dana Parsons, a columnist at the LA times wrote an editorial a couple of weeks ago in support of Sandra Hutchens, the new Sheriff of Orange County. Sheriff Hutchens has changed the requirements in regards to getting a concealed carry permit in Orange County. Many of the people who currently have a valid permit will not be able to renew their permits, becuase they do not have "suffecient need."

Forget for a second that Sandra Hutchens doesn't know jack shit about any particular individuals "need" to carry a firearm (open or conealed.) Forget for a second that she is infringing on that right which "shall not be infringed." Forget for a second that she's out of lockstep with what the county commisioners (or whatever the governing body is) want, and is out of step with what her employees (at least some of them) want.

Dana admits, in an editorial this week, that when he opened his mouth in support of Sandra Hutches, he "knew there'd be hell to pay." Only the reaction wasn't what he thought it was. Apparently not everyone who chooses to carry a firearm for self defense is a cousin humping redneck who spits 'bacco. Dana goes on to say that he got dozens of emails, and the vast majority of them did not fit into the stereotype of "gun nuts." They zeroed in on the points that Dana had made, and argued their cases on merits.

So the Pro Rights crowd argued their case on the merits, but then Dana falls back on feelings, sharing the following:

As I suggested in the last column, I get the argument. I really do.

How can anyone dispute that if confronted on the street by a criminal intent on mayhem, it's much preferable to have a way to defend yourself?

But I and other pointy-headed people just can't extend that argument as far as the other side does. Bottom line: I wouldn't feel safer knowing that untold numbers of private citizens that I pass on the street -- yes, even salt-of-the-earth types who have been trained -- are packing guns.

Dana, I'm truly sorry that you feel less safe walking down the street knowing that good people might have guns. Now I have some bad news for you, the criminals that would prey upon the good people of this country, they don't go through the trouble of getting carry permits, and they're going to carry their firearms anyway. That means that by tightening the requirements on issuance of CCW permits, you're guaranteeing that the only guns around are the ones in the hands of the bad guys. That makes no sense at all dude.

Less gun control, more criminal control.

We are all socialists now...

or... not so much... we're just fucked.

(H/T to SayUncle)

Economic Stimulus Bill...

Only... NOT! Pet Projects! Billions of Dollars of Pork!

Don't get me wrong, I like bacon as much as the next guy, but not prepared by Congress...

Never mind that the bill will actually do more harm than good, which is a travesty in and of itself. Look at what else has happened:

The majority holders in the House and Senate kept the minority members from offering amendments to the bill.

When the bill was all said and done, it was over 1100 pages long, was delivered around midnight and voted on next business day. Call it 17 hours, if the vote happened by 5PM. That means that a member of Congress would have to read 65 pages per HOUR of legaleeze (assuming they didn't sleep at all after receiving the bill...). I can't read that fast when I'm reading for enjoyment.

In addition, I've heard reports that the text of the bill was never delivered to the representatives in a PDF or other electronic file, so there was no way to quickly search if for pork. This was a disgusting trick by the majority leaders in both the house and senate to pay off (that is buy votes) all of the pet projects of their constituents.

Republican Minority Leader John Boehner talks about the bill in this short clip, well worth your time.

I'm so angry, I could literally spit at these people. These people should all be ashamed of themselves! This was not the way our government was intended to work.

Bayou Renaissance Man talks about it over here.

And as usual, Breda is far more eloquent than I am...

The Break-Up Poem

Happy Valentine's Day

Insufficient Evidence Could Force U.S. Navy to Return Suspected Pirates to Somalia

As seen at Fox News.

Pardon me while my head explodes.

I'm sorry, but if these guys were caught by the US Navy and were in the act of committing, or attempting to commit piracy, this should be a simple matter.

Try them aboard ship, and when they are found guilty, shoot each of them and throw em overboard.

How often does the US end up doing this?  Taking a passive stance instead of an aggressive one.  If these pirates are returned to Somalia, I'd b e willing to be a weeks pay (that's actually a good chunk of change) that the prisoners will be actively pirating again within a week.

Let's not get me started on illegal aliens...

--Jim

My Everlasting Shame

Via SayUncle, I stumbled across Gun Free Kids, a group opposed to allowing valid concealed carry permit holders to carry onto a college campus.

To my eternal shame, I clicked over to their list of schools that support the measure, and found that my alma mater* is the ONLY school in the communist state of NJ that has signed up.

A letter will be sent to the President of the University before this day is out.

--Jim

*There was a murder on campus since I left in May 2006, so it's not that safe of an area.

Daily Carry Gear

So Breda was nice enough to throw up a post about the stuff she carries each and every day. I also remember seeing a meme that floated around the blogsphere a couple of months back about what gets carried every day, so I figured I'd participate.

First of all, this is a picture of the stuff I carry each and every day when I'm at work (this stuff is carried all day, every day on the jobsite.) Unfortunately, work prohibits the carrying of firearms on the jobsite.

Starting from the bottom left:

Cell Phone (Palm Treo - Verizon Wireless)
Texas Key Ring (has the keys to my apartment, and office at work)
Cell Phone Case
Camera Case
Truck Keys
Digital Camera (Nikon CoolPix)
Small Notebook
Pen
Surefire E1b
Leatherman Multitool
Emerson CQC-7B w/ Wave
Wallet

When I'm not at work, I have the following stuff:


From the bottom Left:

Cell Phone
Wallet
Cell Phone Case
Texas Keys
Truck Keys
Leatherman Multitool
Small Notebook
Pen
Springfield XD45 Service (in a Brommeland Max-Con V)
Backup Mag
Emerson CQC-7B
Surefire E1b

--Jim

Even the Wall Street Journal...

is saying that the new "stimulus" bill has pork in it. Never mind the fact that you can't find the Federal Government's power to do this anywhere in the Constitution

Even some of the MSM is reporting it. Maybe they're turning on the master?

Don't get me wrong, I like bacon as much as the next guy... but not from the .gov!

--Jim

More Stupidity from the Courts...

Let me start by saying that I don't smoke, never have, and have no real desire to start.  Maybe when I'm a grandfather, I'll take up smoking pipe (I actually like that smell....).  That being said:

I'm sorry, but if you choose to smoke, you're stupid.  In this day and age, the disadvantages of smoking far outweigh the advantages of doing so, in the same way that the disadvantages of heroine or crack far outweigh the advantages.  I personally believe that as an adult, you should have the right to make all of those choices for yourself.

I'm honestly completely in favor of legalizing marijuana, heroine, cocaine, LSD, all of it.  Provided that it is something you are doing to yourself, or it is happening between 2 consenting adults, the government should keep its nose out of it.  The government (at any level) should not be passing legislation telling citizens how to treat their own bodies.  The government should not be forcing a ban on smoking in all restaurants, and all bars. 

That all being said, if the effects of your choices come back to haunt you some day, well, they're also your responsibility.  Suing the tobacco industry because your husband died is just plain wrong, and the lady should have been laughed out of court.  It is extremely tragic that Stuart Hess died at the age of 55, from lung cancer, it truly is.  But the man had smoked for 40 years, even after knowing the risks, and quitting several times before making the decision to go back to it.  The tobacco industry did not stick the cigarettes in the mans mouth and light them up for him.

Hopefully the decision is overturned on appeal, but somehow I'm not sure that it will be.

And to Elaine Hess for trying to hold the tobacco industries responsible because your husband made piss poor choices: EPIC FAIL!

And to the jury that found in favor of Mrs. Hess, kindly do the world a favor, and take a long walk off a short pier.

--Jim

The Letter J - Meme

THE LETTER J

Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 10 people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real. . .nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Have Fun!!
----------
1. What is your name: Jim

2. A four Letter Word: Jump

3. A boy's Name: John

4. A girl's Name: Jen

5. An occupation: Jumpmaster

6. A color: Jaundice

7. Something you wear: Jumper

8. A food: Jam

9. Something found in the bathroom: Potty

10. A place: Jaynestown (reference anyone?)

11. A reason for being late: Just Forgot

12. Something you shout: "J! C!" (I shouldn't say it, but it happens)

13. A movie title: Jurassic Park

14. Something you drink: Juice

15. A musical group: Joe Diffie

16. An animal: Jackrabbit

17. A street name: Jefferson Ave. Evansville IN

18. A type of car: Jaguar

Good Information

When I was but a wee little lad, well, 17 years old, I had the opportunity to take the EMT class offered in my little rural county of NJ. As part of taking my EMT, I was taught some very very important rules, one of which was the simply, and yet undeniable truth that as an EMT, it is critical that:

"You never upset the dispatcher, they get to tell you where to go, and can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Whatever you do, never, ever, EVER, piss off the dispatcher."

I can say, from experience that dispatchers do in fact have an extremely difficult and stressful job. While working for the ambulance corporation after I graduated college, I had the opportunity to dispatch for several shifts. Probably the most stressful day I've ever had at work was the day that I sat behind the dispatching screen and had to make sure my trucks got to the right place, on time, and picked up the right people.

Unfortunately, as much as that rule may be critically important when it comes to dealing with dispatchers, I am about to break it, well, maybe just bend it. I hope that my dispatcher readers will forgive me.

August, I think 2007, although it might have been 2006, I'm not sure. The squad is in the middle of fair week, which is basically 10 days of at least 14 hour days (often longer.) The fair shut down relatively early this evening, and the ambulances returning to the station make a small convoy. Just as I reach the station parking lot, the tones sound, and send us on a run. The run was dispatched as a suicidal female, which a leg injury. (pay attention, this is going to be important later.)

Because of the scattered nature of duty crews during the fair, the crew for the evening is scattered around the four winds. (Translation: we aren't sure where they are.) One of them was in the mini-convoy of ambulances, so she's in the parking lot ready to head to the run. I offer to ride along with her, so the crew is complete. Just as we're getting ready to put the rig in service, actual crew member 2 pulls in. I offer to bail, but they decline. In service we go.

Half way to the job, we get a radio call that the 3rd actual member of the crew will meet us half-way there. Again I offer to jump out, and drive his truck back to the station, but the offer is declined. We continue onto the job, and arrive on location at the same time the first responders from the local fire department arrive on scene. The state troopers are already on location. This shouldn't be too bad.

Grab the gear, say hello to the first responders, walk to door, knock.

No answer.

Knock on door.

No answer.

Knock on door.

"Hey guys, over here," says the state trooper from the side of the house.

Walk around the back of the house to find the following scene: One trooper walking in front of us, one trooper in the back yard (flashlight in elbow, off), a middle aged couple is standing in the back yard, probably about 25 feet from the back wall.

"Hey troop, what's going on?"

"She was drinking, got emotional, and either jumped, or slipped off the deck."

"OK"

As we walk up, the crew heads towards the middle aged lady standing in the backyard. As a general rule, she seems to be alert and oriented, knows what's going on. Doesn't seem emotionally upset, etc.

As we approach, we're discussing if our patient needs to be backboarded. She fell, which calls for it, but she's up and walking around, which probably means that any damage that might have happened would have happened already. We decide that just as a precaution, looking at the deck, we're going to go ahead and backboard here for transport.

I approach the middle aged man, whom I presume is the husband of the patient, and attempt to gather information. I think the trooper overheard me start asking questions about the man's wife, and realized my mistake.

"That's not her, she's over there."

Turn around to see one of the troopers had turned his flashlight on, and is pointing it at the ground almost underneath the deck, where a young lady (late teens, early 20's) is laying on the ground.

"Oh, ok," we repond. Only, as we approach the patient, it quickly becomes evident that in fact, she is NOT ok, and the situation is NOT ok. Patient is responsive, but only to extremely loud, or painful stimuli. She smells like alcohol, won't answer questions appropriately, and is generally combative.

Take a quick look at the deck, and realize that it's at least 20 ft off the ground, which makes the mechanism of injury significant, which translates to a recommended ALS response, and a consideration of transport to the trauma center. The semi-conscous nature also calls for ALS, and a possible trauma center, because we can't tell if it's alcohol, or a fall that is causing her to be semi-conscious and combative.

I run back to the rig, call dispatch and have them start ALS, and put the helicopter on standby. Run back and check on the crew, and ask K if he wants the patient to fly. We're not sure we need to, but the trauma center is a good 45 minutes from where we are standing, and we're not sure we're going to get a medic. At that point, dispatch comes back on the radio and tells us that indeed, we are not getting a medic, as the nigh unit is tied up at the moment, and we'll call our dispatch when they are free.

We make the decision to fly the patient to the trauma center. We package her on the backboard, and as we get ready to move to the rig, for further eval, and to begin transport, the medic unit signs on the air, looking for an update from our crew (they must have been almost clear at the local ER.)

For whatever reason, my portable radio won't reach the medics, so I call one of them on the phone, and give him the run down on the patient. The medics are understandably questioning how a emotionally disturbed patient with a leg injury has transformed into an ALS run, but settle down when I explain what's going on. We agree to meet at the landing zone for the helicopter.

We do the transport, and at one point during it, patient stops breathing, and then starts on her own again. We finish the transport, meet the medics, and they do their thing. They aren't sure the patient needs to fly either, but we can't rule it out, so we let the bird continue in.

Ends up the patient is transported to the trauma center, and is treated and released, no permanent damage.

The part of this story to make note of, we were dispatched to an emotionally disturbed patient with a leg injury. Both of those calls are BLS only. I'll give the dispatcher credit, it was an EDP, and she had a leg injury, but the whole, jumping off a second story deck, and being semi-consious, that's just a LITTLE important! We walked into a job and got blind sided, which should happen very very rarely!

Make sure the information that you get and pass along is as good as it possibly can be. The little pieces of information are often the most critical and are always the ones that are overlooked! (this holds true for everything, not just EMS.)

Tactical Training

Is anyone interested in going to take the Combat Handgun 1 class at North Texas Tactical Training?

I think I'm going up on 2/28. 

Let me know.

--Jim

Dog CPR

Thanks to Ambulance Driver.

San Antonio Blog Meet Aftermath!

While I was at the blogmeet yesterday, I made reference to this cartoon, although apparently no one else who was there had ever seen it. I'm posting it so that they can enjoy it.

Now that everyone has read that and had a good chuckle, I should come clean and say that I have at least one of each (Glock and 1911) and like them both, probably equally.

Like I mentioned on Friday, I drove down to the blogmeet the night before, and met up with SpeakerTweaker for dinner at Biff Buzby's Burgers, which actually had a car show going on, even though it was the middle of February (gotta love Texas). The GPS unit I had indicated that there was a Dunkin Donuts in the area, so I planned on going there for breakfast.

I got up early Saturday AM, and headed for DD's, only to find out that it was no longer a DD, but was instead a local place. Ended up going directly to the range, and got there at about 8:30, even though the range didn't open until 9AM. Tweaker showed up between 5 and 10 minutes later, and Murphy was just a little bit after him. Before the range opened just after 9AM, there were at least 15 cars waiting to use the range.

We decided to hit the pistol range first, and settled up with the range. We had two lanes, and a total of 10 pistols (after 10% showed up.) Many stories were shared, much shootie goodness was enjoyed by all, and the range was packed. There was a CHL class going on, at least one police officer practice on the range, and numerous parent with children around. In addition, there were some people being introduced to shooting for the first time.

The total pistol collection that was evident on site:

• Kimber TLE II/RL
• XD45 Service
• Glock 19
• Ruger 22/45 Mk. 3
• Ruger Single Six
• CZ-52
• CZ-85
• Glock 22
• NAA Mini in .22mag
• Colt Lightweight Commander

And at a guess approximately 1000 rounds were fired through the various pistols throughout the course of the day. Both Speaktweater and Murphy got a kick out the .22LR rounds I'd brought, that have next to no recoil (they won't function a semi-auto).

After we finished on the pistol range, we moved over to the rifle range where we were shooting at 50 yards. Between the four of us, there were five rifles and a 9mm carbine.

• Sig 556
• AR-15 (M4gery)
• Bushmaster Gas Piston Carbine (AR-15)
• Mosin-Nagant
  
• Henry .22LR
• Kel-Tec Sub 2000

We had an exceptionally good time, considering that neither of the AR-15s on site was previously sighted in. We fixed that with Tweaters, but somehow I managed to forget the instructions for zeroing my EOtech, so it still shoots a little high and to the left. The grouping was nice though :)

At one point we were approached by a guy asking what the fascination with AR-15's is, since they "are made just for killing people." I jumped in with the argument that I know bunches of people who hunt with them, but what I really should have said was that us owning our AR-15's protects his right to own his deer rifle. Wasn't quick enough on the thought processes though. I was however quick enough to point out that there are more accessories for the AR-15 family of rifles than there are for any other gun platform out there.

It was a mighty good time, unfortunately it had to end far far too soon. 10% ducked out when his wife sent him a text message from the car saying "it's time to go." It was after 1PM before I realized how late it was getting, and that I had a long drive ahead of me, so I bid a fond farewell to Murphy and Tweaker, although they decided to pack it in about the same time.


After leaving the range, I headed back to the College Station / Franklin area, by way of Double Shot Liquor and Guns, located in Schulenburg TX. The shop seemed to have an awesome selection of liquor on sale, and a back room with several dozen firearms, and they have a drive through. How cool is that! Amongst the other stuff they had in the back room, Double Shot had a GSG-5 and at least one AR-15, which is always nice to see. The staff was very pleasant, and gave me a free coolie for beverage cans. Definitely a place to check out, although their selection for firearms was certainly not the greatest.

I also stopped off at Champion Firearms in College Station, and picked me up a new Surefire X300 for my pistols! All in all, a wonderful day, and the only way to make it better would have been to have more people join us. Unfortunately, it turns out that Sabra could've made it, but realized she wouldn't know how to meet up with anyone. Next time we'll have to make some signs up for the tables we are shooting at.

Muphy shares his thoughts up here.

10% has his views and report over here.

Last, but definitely not least, SpeakerTweaker writes out his experiences.

Thanks guys, for an awesome day!

Pictures will be put up as soon as I get them from Tweaker (I managed to forget I had my camera...boo hiss.)

Hope and Change...

or more of the same.

This pisses me off to no end.

As Breda mentioned overhearing:

"Why does the government assume that they are the only ones with a list?"

San Antonio Blogmeet Update

Tomorrow is the day.

Go see Tweaker and let him know that you're coming...

that is... if you are in fact planning on showing up.

I'm driving down tonight.

Random Gunny Pic

Ruger 22/45 Mark III, 5-1/2 SS barrel

Ryan Frederick Verdict Announced

Sailorcut over at Captain of a Crew of One has been following the Ryan Frederick case, and the verdict was announced yesterday.  For those of you who haven't been following case, or don't even know about it, Ryan Frederick is the man who stood accused of murdering a police officer when the cops broke down his door as part of a drug raid.

As far as I've been able to tell, and I wasn't there, so this is all after the fact, a confidential informant told the cops that Ryan Frederick was growning marijuana in his house.  The cops got a judge to sign a search warrant, and the raided Ryan's house.  Supposedly Ryan was asleep in the back room when his dogs woke him up.  Ryan grabbed a pistol and when he saw the front door of his house being broken in, he shot through the door killing one of the detectives attempting to serve the warrant.

While I absolutely believe that it was a tragedy that Detective Jarrod Shivers lost his life in the process of doing his job, I think the responsiblity for the situation that caused him to lose his life should be carried soley by the police department.  Please don't misunderstand me, I think that police officers do a very dangerous and very stressful jobs, and I am proud to call some of them my friends.  That being said, as a general rule, police departments in this country are getting more and more militarized, and have more and more an opinion of "us and them."

As a factor of that militization of the police deparments, more and more SWAT teams have been formed.  Now with budgets being tightened, departments are attempting to keep their teams active, because the taxpayers don't want to pay for the units if they aren't being used.  This actually leads to SWAT teams being used for routine warrants and other incidents that do not require the use of a SWAT team.

SWAT teams often use a dynamic entry method, which leads to incidents like the one that cost Jarrod Shivers his life, and has now cost Ryan Fredericks his freedom.  To compound the problem, there numerous incidents of police going to the wrong address, and invading the home of an innocent person.

I'll say that I think Ryan should have been found guilty of the marijuana posession charge, then again, I don't exactly agree with the War on Some Drugs.  That being said, I hope he appeals the involutary manslaughter charges, and is acquitted.

Schoolteacher Suspended for Facebook Gun Photo

Gotta love this story on Fox News out of Wisconsin, although as one of only two states that does not allow any form of concealed carry, maybe it isn't so surprising. Sad yes, but definitely not surprising.

BEAVER DAM, Wis. —
A Beaver Dam Middle School teacher is on administrative leave after
school officials discovered a photo of her with a gun on Facebook.

In the photo, Betsy Ramsdale was training a rifle at the camera.

In an e-mail to WKOW-TV in Madison, Ramsdale said she removed the photo
immediately and that she is not "interested in any controversy.

Schools superintendent Donald Childs says a concerned staff member brought the photo to the district's attention.

Childs says the use of the photo "appears to be poor judgment" and is unaware of any sinister intent.

Ramsdale's biography on the district Web site states she is in her first year at
the school. Department of Public Instruction records show Ramsdale has
been licensed to teach since 1996.

Glad I didn't decide to become a school teacher, because I'd be fired over the number of gun pictures that I post. And to her co-worker, get over you Hoplophobia, and hurry, you look like an IDIOT.

Teaching People to Shoot Update

Update to my post over here, and on the main page of the blog.

By way of Captain and a Crew of One we find that Mulligan over at Do Over is keeping up with this list of people willing to introduce new people to the shooting sports. I left my contact info asking to be added to the roster.

UPDATE: I've been added.

--Jim

30 Days - Gun Nation

Xavier led me in the direction of this episode of 30 days, where a citizen disarmament advocate spends 30 days living in the home of a gun nut.

I remember hearing about this show when it first aired, but didn't get a chance to watch it on TV originally. I'm glad Xavier pointed the show out to me, and led me to where it could be viewed online.

The show is about 40 minutes long, and it's amazing to see the changes in Pia's attitude as it goes on.

I didn't grow up in a house with firearms, and my mother was extremely opposed to me having any in the house. As a matter of fact, when I purchased my first two pistols, I had to store them at a good friend's house, who had firearms of his own.

I started reading about the gun rights movement, and attempting to make an informed decision long before I bought my first two guns. I became interested in firearms and shooting while I was still in high school, and practiced with a mentor at work whenever he had the time and inclination. I knew long before I got to college that I would purchase my first pistols as soon after passing 21 I would.

I don't know that I've changed the minds of anyone, but I have definitely taken a bunch of people to the range who have never been before. Much of it happened when I was in college, had a nice range close by, and a huge pool of people to draw from. I've continued the tradition of introducing new people to the range and gun ownership whenever possible.

I even bought my girlfriend her first pistol for Christmas, and have taken her shooting several times since then. More on that at a later day.

To me, the single greatest thing that we can do to help ensure the future of Second Amendment rights to to introduce new people to the shooting sports, and get them to enjoy it.

I'll share my personal opinions on how to introduce someone to the shooting sports for the first time later :)

Socialized Healtcare...

At its finest...

That is all.

I am not...

a fan of snakes...

and coming face to face with a snake like this would require me changing my pants I'm sure!

I'm not sure even my trusty .45, or even my AR-15 would take care of that particular problem!

Creepy!

--Jim

Why I Carry A Gun

This particular comment has been discussed around the blogsphere many times. The answer always varies slightly from blogger to blogger, and I'm hoping to share my opinion on the matter.

Simply put, I carry a firearm for the defense of myself ands my loved ones. I don't want to take the place of the police, but I think that part of a citizens responsibilities is to have the ability to protect him/herself from a violent offender until the police arrive.

As far as how I carry, I usually carry on my right hip either IWB or OWB. Usually it's a leather holster, although I do occasionally use a kydex holster. I always carry at least one backup mag, due to the fact the something like 90% of semi-auto pistol failures are due to a magazine failure. The backup mag is carried on my left side behind my cell phone holder.

Other stuff I have with me whenever I leave the house includes a cell phone (obviously). I also carry two knives, a tactical folder and a Leatherman multitool. Finally, I have a minimum of at least one Surefire flashlight. There is usually a second Surefire not very far away. I use all of this stuff almost every single day in my day to day working.

Now, for the good stuff: meaning what firearms do I carry. When I first started carrying in IN, I was carrying an HK USPc in .40, carried in a CTAC holster. I've moved on to an XD45 carried in a Brommeland Max-Con V or a Glock 19 carried in a Brommeland Max-Con V or Def-Con V. I also have a Ruger LCP for times when I simply can't conceal a larger pistol.

Later, I'll talk about the mentality that goes with carrying a firearm on a day to day basis.

Legislation...

that I might actually support! More states should pass laws like this telling the federal government to get stuffed!

Stolen from No Looking Backwards.

Seen originally at Snowflakes in Hell.

--Jim

First Code

I guess that most of an EMS career can be summed up as a series of firsts. In my time volunteering and responding on the ambulance, I was lucky enough that very few of my calls ever became routine. Even though many of my calls stand out, some stand out far more than others.

One of the calls that stands out in my mind is the very first time I ever witnessed a cardiac arrest. Now, I'd practiced how to handle a cardiac arrest in EMT class, but nothing quite prepares you for the first code.

Let me paint the picture for you a little bit: it was an extremely hot day in early August in 2002, and my volunteer EMS agency was providing first aid at the county fair. At the fair, and as a probationary member on the squad, I was not allowed to take one of the on grounds radios if I was going off on my own. I was wandering the fair grounds that night with a few of my friends when I heard it over the squad main radio:

"Headquarters from station 3"

"Go ahead Station 3"

"Can you start us a CAD and dispatch ALS. We have a reported cardiac arrest on the fairgrounds."

"Received Station 3."

At this point I left my friends and went looking for the call to see if I could help. It happened that I was only one lane over from where I was with my friends so I located the scene in a fairly expedient manner and even still by the time I made it to the patient there were already about 8 EMTs on scene, along with about an ambulances worth of equipment.

The best way to describe the situation for anyone who has never seen a code being run is "controlled chaos." people are going way and every which way. The squad I ran with was a BLS agency only and even still all of the following tasks were being undertaken simultaneously:

Supplemental oxygen being prepped
Ventilations being given
Airways being prepared and inserted
Compressions being performed
AED being attached and power up
Transport being prepared
Information being gathered from family members
Along with some sort of control being orchestrated.

I can honestly say that I was overwhelmed and don't remember exactly what happened on the call. I can tell you that we were on probably the busiest part of sidewalk in the whole fairgrounds as we were located in between the midway and the restrooms. I know we shut down that walkway for the remainder of the incident. I know that we brought an ambulance onto the grounds ( which was and is still not SOP). I know that the patient did not survive and was probably dead before hitting the pavement. I also know that the call was rough on some of the EMTs that I ran on the squad with.

I know it changed me, and it's not a memory that I'll soon forget.

Line of Duty Death

I was cruising around the blogsphere today, and happened across this post over at Medic Three.

It appears that Mark Davis was shot and killed by a patient while on an emergency run. The worst part is, according to the news reports that I've read about the incident since, it appears that EMT Davis and the rest of his crew were doing everything they were supposed to, at least according to the book.

I've never agreed with the prohibitions of firearms in relation to emergency services, although the people who develop the policies think they are sound. I'm not sure that having a firearm would have helped in this case, but it would have offered other options to the crew...

Mr. Davis, RIP, and thank you for your service. Your life was ended far too soon. May God welcome you into Heaven's Brigade.

HEAVEN'S BRIGADE

Did you know there's a Fire Department in Heaven?
I heard Cap tell that sorrowful lad.
The young boy stared, working over the words he'd just been given.
Cap, do you think God's got a spot on the truck for my dad?
Cap smiled, even though you could tell his heart was heavy, and said,
You bet son, as he roughed the hair on the boy's head.
Timmy looked up, his sadness, for now, gone.
Cap went on, holding back the tears that were trying to fall.
They've got the biggest, reddest fire trucks you ever saw,
And they keep them all cleaned and ready,
Just in case they get a call.
Of course they don't get many,
Bein' in Heaven and all.
But God knew this, so right next to them He made,
A great big tree, that puts out a lot of shade.
And each day they have at least one run,
Down the streets of Heaven, leading the afternoon parade.
That's been years ago now,
And in that time, things have changed alot.
Cap, he's been retired, and I some how, made it to Chief.
And Timmy, He's just Tim now, down at station two,
And, I must say, one of the finest Captains on my crew.
The day came, the worst of any other,
When we have to say farewell to a fallen brother.
I watched, as Tim walked over to that hero's son,
And share some words, just as my Cap and Tim had once done...
Did you know there's a Fire Department in Heaven?............

Coffee

I know that I haven't posted often enough to have picked up a regular group of readers. For those of you that do manage to make it here and continue to return for my scribbling, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
That being said, I realized that I have done a bunch of posts regarding ambulances or EMS, and a bunch of posts about guns and stuff. But I'm remiss for not putting up a post about coffee.

To some people, coffee isn't that big a deal. I even know some people who don't drink coffee. I enjoy a nice relaxing cup of coffee in the evening and in the right company (that might include just myself). For the most part, I'll never turn coffee down, morning, noon, or night. I start every early morning with at least a cup and usually two of them, just to get myself going.

Some of the happiest memories in my life occurred when coffee was present, or j was in the process of getting coffee. The ambulances at my volunteer squad didn't know how to pass the Dunkin Donuts without stopping off and when I was working paid transport, some of the guys used to navigate with different Dunkin Donuts as reference points along the way. I've killed more hours sitting at a Dunkin Donuts probably than any other store, excepting maybe the local gun shop. I've started relationships in coffee shops, and I've had relationships end in coffee shops. I cant forget to mention that my first meeting with my current girlfriend occurred at a Starbucks. In some regards, a coffee shop is one. Of the places where I am most at home.

Given my choice, I'd start every morning with either a large or an extra large Dunkin Donuts regular coffee light and sweet (lots of cream and sugar). I actually considered not moving to Indiana because there was no DD in the city I was moving to. I still miss DD coffee, and make sure to treat myself whenever I see a DD! (just a note that there are DD stores in the terminals of both Chicago and Dallas airports!!!)

Oops, off to make a cup!