Native Development Comes to WebOS

Yeah I’m still a fan of Palm even though I lack a physical WebOS device (I have the emulator though). Well something that’s been a long time coming has finally come, native development for WebOS in the form of C and C++ plugins.

This is advantageous because it gives direct access to the hardware (Needed for things like 3D games) and allows developers with applications already written in C or C++ to port their application over easier. I really need to just get a Palm Pre at this point.

In other news WebOS will have an update that allows recording video and utilizing *shudders* Flash. OK in my opinion the first is a feature and the second is a bug.

Two Schools of Carry Permit Holders

In the world of carry there are always two or more schools of thought on each subject. Right now I want to talk about the two schools of though pertaining to the potential court case after a self defense shooting. It seems to me not enough people take this into consideration. Everybody can talk ages about what type of ammunition is best, what is the best carry gun, what is the best holster, but very seldom do I hear a conversation about what are the best practices to avoid getting yourself thrown in jail afterwards.

The two schools of thought are generally those who believe worrying about a court case isn’t something you should waste time at. The idea is in a self defense situation you do anything you have to do in order to preserve you life regardless of the legalities and potential court case afterwards. The other school of thought is to based almost everything you do on what would reflect best in a court case.

I’m certainly of the second school of thought. I avoid carrying reloaded ammunition because a lawyer could jump on that, I don’t make any non-factory approved trigger modifications to a carry gun, etc. So I’m going to talk a little bit about such things and why I think what I think.

First of all let’s talk about carrying reloaded ammunition. I’ve not heard of a court case where somebody has been nailed to the wall for carrying reloaded ammunition but it certainly is something that could be used. The idea is a prosecutor could say you intended to kill your target by loading specially craft ammunition that exceed the performance capabilities of commercial ammunition. It’s stupid but then again prosecutors live to my the jury feel resent towards the accused. The best defense you can have is ask what you local police department use and use it. At least that way if the persecutor asks you why you carry what you carry you can clearly state because that’s what the police department carries. More or less carrying commercial self defense ammunition is an easy way to avoid a potential avenue of attack.

Next up trigger. This argument has been used before in court to prosecute people. See many people like to do trigger work on their guns to make the trigger lighter. This is especially common when the person learned to shoot on a single action platform like the 1911 where the trigger weight is very light. There is nothing wrong with wanting a lighter trigger, unless you’re sitting in court. Prosecutors love to nail people to the wall for whatever they can get. They might not be able to say you murdered a person but they certainly can say you made a mistake and get you with a manslaughter charge. The mistake? Accidentally pulling the trigger. In a stress situation fine motor skills go out the door. You become less aware of things. The prosecutor’s idea here is that your trigger was so light that you pulled it without realizing it while aiming at the attacker, thus firing accidentally. To further add frustration to the case the prosecutor can bring in an engineer from the pistol manufacturer who will state they advise against having such a light trigger. For instance Glock clearly states that their 3.5 pound connector is for competition and target use only (Although I think they make an exception if you pair it with a NY1 spring). The only trigger modification you should make to a carry gun are ones approved by the factory for defensive uses. Likewise if you carry a revolver carry one that is double action online. You don’t want to allow the prosecutor to claim you pulled the hammer back setting the stage for a negligent shooting.

Next potential legal battlefield you could be facing is around your caliber. A poor Arizona man was nailed this way because he was carrying a 10mm. The charge was crap but the prosecutor was able to connivence the jury the accused intended to kill and that is the only reason he carried such a powerful round. My advice to to carry a round that some police department has issue. 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 Auto, .38 Special, .357 magnum, and .357 SIG would all be safe choices.

What else do you have to watch out for? What you post online. Make no mistake nothing you post online is private. A smart prosecution team will do searches on your names and try to find websites you visit and post on. If they find a Facebook posting made by you stating something like, “I plan to kill anybody who attacks me” rest assured they will use it against you. Be careful with your words online. What you may think is harmless could come back and bite you in the ass later. Never advocate violence against somebody. If somebody asks for ideas on the best caliber to kill an attacker don’t post a reply. Make it clear that in a self defense situation you want to stop the attacker, not kill them. Just remember there is nothing confidential on the Internet.

A way to help yourself out in court is how you hand a self defense situation. Don’t risk your life for this but if there is any possibility loudly (Yelling voice here) tell your attacker to back off. Why? Because this way you will most likely attract the gaze of anybody around which means witnesses. The more witnesses your have the better in this case. They can come before the court and say you told the attacker to back off, drop their weapon, get away, whatever. In other words you attempted to resolve the situation without resorting to legal force. This is just something to help you out.

Finally have the name and number of a lawyer who has knowledge in the field of self defense shooting. Of course establish a dialog with the lawyer first so they know who you are. Not knowing who to call after a self defense situation is not a good thing. You should know who you are going to call beforehand.

So don’t just plan for a self defense situation, also plan for the aftermath. The court case could very well be worse than the self defense situation itself if you get tossed in prison for the remainder of your life.

Anti-Defamation League Don’t Like Guns

No surprise here but the Anti-Defamation League has filed a friend of the court briefing in McDonald vs. Chicago. Their, of course, on the side of Chicago. They believe weapons need to be controlled so “anti-government extremists” (As well as racists and terrorists of course) can’t obtain weapons. Obviously these idiots never read a history book. Here is what they say:

“We have placed the problem of armed extremism squarely before the high court,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “Racist and anti-government extremists often have an obsessive fascination with firearms and have shown a willingness to engage in acts of shocking and often deadly violence. We urge the Supreme Court to ensure that cities and states retain the latitude they need to keep guns out of the hands of extremists, terrorists, and violent bigots.”

First of all they never really define what an “anti-government extremist” is. By the make up of the word is means anybody who hates an established government. I’m assuming they mean somebody who hates them enough to start an armed rebellion. You know somebody like Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. These people hated the tyrannical British government so much they armed themselves, rebelled, and founded this country.

Seriously morons.

Opps

Snowflakes in Hell points out that the Joyce Foundation, everybody’s favorite foundation, pretty much laid out what they think. They dropped a granted to Johns Hopkins with the following description:

For support of research on policies that can more effectively restrict firearm ownership to law-abiding persons.

As Sebastian points out it’s probably just a poor choice of words. But it most certainly would fit their standard operating procedure.

Crossbreed Holster Service

For daily carry I use a Crossbreed SuperTuck in the waistband holster. Over my time with a carry permit I’ve purchased three of their holsters; one of the XD, one of the Glock, and one for my 1911. As I mentioned a while ago a crack developed in the Kydex on the XD holster. Well I sent it in for service and finally received it back.

First when I say finally I mean nothing ill, I sent it a week before Christmas. I wasn’t expecting it back until after the holiday season. Well it came back to me last week. I was rather impressed when I opened the box and it contained an entirely new holster.

I was expecting them to simply replace the Kydex. Once again when I say this I wasn’t think any ill, I figured the leather was still good so why not just swap out the broken part. Either way I have a new holster and they even send me a roll of Lifesavers. Anyways this is more or less a post just stating that I’m very happy with their service. Their holsters are a touch expensive but if something goes wrong it’s not my problem which is well worth the additional cost.

You Can’t Trust a Spy

This is a lesson the CIA should have learned by now but if you find somebody willing to betray their country for your cause there is a good chance he’ll betray you as well. A CIA double agent apparently working with them to find out information on al Qaeda went and killed several CIA agents in a suicide bombing. You can’t trust a spy, period.

Target Yemen

Well Blow Hard the She Bitch *ahem* I mean Hillary Clinton is rattling some sabers over Yemen:

“It’s time for the international community to make it clear to Yemen that there are expectations and conditions on our continuing support for the government so that they can take actions which will have a better chance to provide that peace and stability to the people of Yemen and the region,” Mrs Clinton said.

And:

Speaking in Washington, Mrs Clinton said: “We see global implications from the war in Yemen and the ongoing efforts by al-Qaeda in Yemen to use it as a base for terrorist attacks far beyond the region.”

Translation: “al-Qaeda is in Yemen soon so shall we.” Now I’m not against taking out al-Qaeda, they attacked first. What I’m against is how the United States has been going after al-Qaeda. We seem to have a habit of arriving under the pretense of being after al-Qaeda and then raging war against the country itself or a neighbor.

Remember when the terrorists were in Iraq? Oh wait never mind we sent after them because they had weapons of mass destruction. Oops I mean we went in to free an downtrodden people. Or was it to take down a ruthless dictator? I forget. And of course we have to be in Afghanistan because of the terrorist threat there. Of course Pakistan is close.

And these wars always seem to start with saber rattling such as Blow Hard the She Bitch is currently doing. I’m betting we’re going to be flooding Yemen with troops, hopefully I’m wrong. I just don’t want to see more of our finest being killed needlessly attacking a country and government instead of those actually responsible for damaging our country.

Too True

I found something I agree with strongly on View From the Porch:

You know what bugs me? Serious fighting pistols with high-dollar price tags that have obviously never been used for anything but holding down the carpet on the gun safe shelf. Colt Gunsites and Les Baer Thunder Ranch Specials that have obviously never been to Gunsite or Thunder Ranch; HK USP Tacticals with the “Hostile Environment Finish” that have never been exposed to an environment more hostile than the trip from the car trunk to the indoor range. With guns like these, “Not a scratch on it!” is something of which to be ashamed, not to brag on. I hereby resolve to call these “Minnie Pearl Guns” from now on.

It always amuses me when somebody spends big bucks on a defensive handgun. Although my reasons are slightly different than mentioned in the linked post.

First this opinion is based around concealed carry. If you want to use an expensive gun in competition that’s fine. But I find carrying an expensive gun to be a poor idea. My reasoning is several fold, but I have one main concern. God forbid you have to use your gun defensively you need to realize there is a very high chance the gun will be confiscated by the police for the investigation. Also realize there is a chance, a great one in some states and/or cities, that you will never see that gun again.

If you’re carrying a Glock or XD you’re out a little over $500.00. It sucks but it’s not the end of the world. If on the other hand you have a very nice tricked out 1911 you stand to lose a $1,000 or more investment. That doesn’t jive with me well. Of course somebody may decide to say I’m promoting the idea of carrying the cheapest gun possible, that isn’t true.

I’m advocating carrying a gun you know will go bang for a fair price. Reliability is key and there are many reliable guns for reasonable prices. Glocks, XDs, M&Ps, snubby revolvers, and the list goes on. They are very reliable and don’t cost a $1,000.

Anyways it’s just a side note I thought up when reading the linked post. When carrying a firearm you should consider the affect effects if you need to actually use your gun defensively.

I’m Predicting a U.S. Invasion of Yemen

Put this down as a bet I’m almost willing to put money on. The crotch bomber apparently originated in Yemen. And there has been a lot of talk about Yemen and U.S. involvement there in recent history. Well now the U.S. has shut down their Yemen embassy amid threats of bombings.

I’m betting we’ll be sending a fairly large number of troops or private contractors to that country soon. Of course it will be to fight the terrorists. Well it could be because of Yemen’s weapons of mass destruction.