Tag: Self Defense

Illegal Drone Usage

The United States government certainly has balls. Not only are they willing to violate the rights of American citizens but they’re also willing to violate the airspace of other nations:

The US has been sending unarmed drones over Mexico since February to gather intelligence on major drug cartels, the New York Times reports.

Yeah we’ll just fly some drones around Mexico since they probably can’t detect them or shoot them down. Now that I think about it we probably asked the Mexican government for permissions:

The missions had been kept secret because of Mexican legal restraints and sensitivities over sovereignty.

Or not. It’s OK though because now the Mexican government knows and they’re probably pissed as Hell…

US President Barack Obama and his Mexican counterpart, Felipe Calderon, formally agreed to continue the surveillance flights during talks in Washington on 3 March, which included a frank exchange of grievances, Mexican and US officials said.

Or not. Honestly if I were the ruler of a country and my neighbor started violating my airspace I’d be pissed regardless of the intentions. Hell if I had the capabilities I would track and shoot down the drones claiming they were foreign military assets violating my country’s airspace.

I guess we shouldn’t expect a government willing to violate the rights of its own citizens to respect the rights of other countries.

Why I Carry

I carry a gun to give myself a better chance of survival in a self-defense situation. The thing most people fail to realize is self-defense situations can occur anywhere and any time. Take for instance the recent shooting at a Bloomington IHOP:

Three men from Minneapolis were shot in the parking lot of a Bloomington restaurant early Monday morning and authorities are seeking suspects.

I’m not saying those three people would be fine if they had firearms but this is certainly a situation where having a firearm would be a good option. The thing is you never know when bad people will intersect with your life. Even if you are unwilling or unable to carry a firearm you should have a plan of some sort.

The world isn’t all sunshine and lollipops and it’s ignorant to believe it is. Be prepared and have an idea of what you will do if you find yourself in a bad situation.

A Fair Fight

One thing that is sometimes heard are complains that using a weapon greater than your opponent isn’t fair. For instance if somebody comes at you with a baseball bat and you end up shooting them some people will call you a pussy because you didn’t “fight fair.” To me the concept of a fair fight is alright amongst gentlemen but has no purpose in a self-defense situation.

A self-defense situation implies you’re defending yourself from an aggressor who means to cause you harm. The amount of harm they mean to cause you becomes irrelevant right away because you have no way of guaranteeing your aggressor will stop at a defined point. For instance if somebody says they’re going to beat you until you’re bloody and leave you can’t guarantee your aggressor is actually going to stop when you’re bleeding. Thus self-defense situations much be treated with the assumption that your attacker means to kill you.

By this definition self-defense situations are life or death situations. When your life is on the line you should do everything you can to preserve it and this means fighting dirty. Your goal should first be avoidance of conflict. Anytime there is conflict there is no way to know you’ll walk away so if at all possible you should avoid getting into a self-defense situation. Of course there are times when such a situation is not avoidable as fighting isn’t started over heated words but by somebody threatening your life outright. Your goal, if avoidance is impossible, should be to have greater force available to you than your attacker.

This is the reason many people in the United States legally carry firearms and have firearms at home for defense. In this day and age firearms are the best weapons available for most civilians. It’s unlikely you’ll be facing off against an aggressor who has more than a firearm at their disposal but it is likely your attacker will have less. The saying “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight” rings true. If your attacker has greater force available to them it tips the scales in their favor. If your attacker has a gun and all you have are your bare hands then the scale is tipped heavily against you. You want that scale tipped to your favor as much as possible.

When carried a firearm gives its owner an increase in the amount of force available to them ensuring the scale is never tipped completely in the direction of the criminal. It gives the owner an option in a life or death situation. The beauty of carrying a firearm is the fact you don’t have to employ it if the situation doesn’t call for it. Firearms are not magical items that jump out of their holster and shoot your aggressor regardless of what the anti-gunners want you to believe. If somebody attacks you and you don’t believe the situation warrants the use of deadly force then you do not need to draw your firearm. If you find yourself in a situation that warrants deadly force the firearm is available to you. Thus the firearm becomes an option, nothing more or less.

This is why owning a firearm for defensive purposes is a good idea it increase your options and allows you to tip the scale back towards your favor. Self-defense situations are about survival. When your life is on the line the idea of a fair fight should be the first thing to go. Remember that your life is more valuable than the life of that thug who is trying to use violence to force you into complying with their demands.

Another Demonstration of Why You Can’t Rely on the Police

Jay over at MArooned posted yet another example of why you can’t rely on the police to protect your life. A woman had to resort to defending herself with a vacuum while she waited 35 minutes for the police to arrive:

A Williamson County woman fought off an intruder with a vacuum cleaner. She was desperate for help, waiting for almost 35 minutes for law enforcement to arrive.

The single mom described that 35 minutes like the scene of a horror movie as she watched a man walk from windows to doors doing anything to break in to her home.

Yes it took 35 minutes for the police to finally arrive at her home. This is why you should always have a plan for defending yourself. Obviously I recommend using the best tool for the job which is a firearm but that’s not the only means of defense at your disposal.

Your life is far more valuable than the life of some scumbag who is willing to bring harm against your person. People out there clamoring for laws restricting firearms are only trying to make it more difficult for you to obtain the best tool to defend the most important thing you have, your life. When these same people claim you should just call the police remember that the police are not legally obligated to protect you and can’t instantly teleport to your location. There will always be travel time required for the police to get to your location and an officer must be available to send to your aid. You need to have a plan to fend for yourself until the police arrive (if they arrive).

Wisconsin Carry

I’ve found some good news via Says Uncle for those of you living in the state east from mine. It seems Illinois will be the last state in the union that disallows any form of carry a concealed handgun as Wisconsin is planning on passing carry legislation:

Wisconsin, one of two states in the nation that prohibits citizens from carrying a concealed weapon, is expected to reverse this law during the upcoming state legislative session, according to a local newspaper.

Only Illinois and Wisconsin forbid carrying concealed weapons. A Republican was elected governor and Republicans won majorities in both houses of the Wisconsin legislature in November, bringing many more supporters of gun rights to the state government.

“You’re going to see a concealed carry bill pass the Legislature, I have no doubt,” Chris Danou, a Democratic legislator from Trempealeau, Wisconsin, told the LaCrosse Tribune newspaper. “The question is what kind of bill it’s going to be.”

Personally I can’t wait. I’m also hoping for reciprocity with Minnesota since Wisconsin is a state I visit with some semblance of frequency and really hate the fact I can’t carry there. It looks like Illinois will be the last holdout for allowing citizens a means of legal self defense.

But They’ll Just Take Your Gun and Shoot You

The anti-gunners parrot it again and again, “If you carry a gun an attacker will just take it and use it against you.” They refuse to understand that such an event is rare and scenarios such as this are far more likely:

As they were trying to tie up the store owner, the 52-year-old took out a handgun from his waistband and fatally shot one of the suspects, Smith said. The store owner then grabbed a shotgun and shot and killed the two other suspects in the ensuring gunbattle, Smith said.

Well one man successfully defending his store from three thugs usually isn’t that common, the store owner was obviously exceptionally high on the awesome scale. What is more common are stories of people successfully using firearms to defend themselves than stories about criminals who taking somebody’s gun and shoot them with it.

Stopping Violence Against Women

I often hear people talking about the problem of violence against women and their desire to find a solution. When you mention arming women many of these people will give you a long spewing of bullshit on how that’s not the solution. Well Mr. Addley of Canada gets it:

With regards to Russell Williams, we must all be reminded that none of the women encountered by him had a legal right to self defense of their own persons by reason of a readily available handgun.

Thanks to Wendy Cukier every women in Canada will remain an easy target for violence due to the fact that she will never be able to avail herself of the most effective and efficient force equalizer known today.

For if any of these young women had been able to legally carry a loaded handgun they would have possessed the necessary force to repel any menacing threat that could of come their way.

A .45 caliber handgun turns a 110 lb women into a 310lb behemoth.

I really like that last line. Nothing levels the playing field in a fight like a firearm. You can be the smallest and weakest person on the planet but if you have a firearm on your person you can stand your ground against the largest and strongest person alive. This is because of a simple fact, all people have an allergy to bullet holes.

I often find it ironic that the biggest supporters and participants in the right to carry are men. Woman should be far more gung-ho about carrying firearms as they are very likely to be targets of violent criminals. You can rest assured that a rape will be thwarted if a woman shoots her would-be rapist dead.

Because He Was Shot Robbing a Coffee Shop You Should Support Gun Control

A short while back there was a story about a Dutch Brothers Coffee employee who shot a piece of shit armed robber. The company doesn’t appear to be upset with the actions of their employee:

A Dutch Bros. spokeswoman said the barista is still on paid leave and will return to work when he is ready. She did not know whether the gun belonged to the employee or not.

“We are extremely thankful that our employee was not injured in the robbery on Nov. 24 and are appreciative that no charges will be filed,” Travis Boersma, CEO/Co-Founder of Dutch Bros. Coffee, said in a prepared statement Wednesday. “We work closely with our employees and do our best to ensure they are safe and protected while at work and will continue to do so. All procedures will be reviewed and evaluated as a result of this incident.”

So the employee will return to work, excellent. What I found funny through was looking up the scum bag’s obituary, specifically the last paragraph:

The Celebration of this wonderful young man’s life will take place at the Musgrove Family Mortuary, Friday, December 3rd, 2010 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family would love donations made to a charity that speaks to you about Sirus. We would like his passing to inspire contributions to causes like gun control, Food for Lane County or DARE, that help people who have fallen through the cracks.

Emphasis mine. The family’s desire is to support gun control causes even though Scum Bag McGee was shot because he was using a gun to rob a coffee shop. Why not have donations put in for the family to do a speaking tour on why it’s a bad idea to commit armed robbery? Oh well you know what they say, criminals love gun control.

And the Award for Biggest Bad Ass of the Year Goes To

Imagine you’re a rancher in Mexico who’s land is coveted by the local drug lords. Now imagine those very thugs came do your ranch and gave you 24 hours to vacate. What would you do? If you answered by saying you’d leave the property then you’re not nearly awesome enough to even continue reading this post. If you answered that you’d setup weapons at your windows and take down as many of those fucks as you could then you’ be Alejo Garza Tamez, a complete and total bad ass:

He defended his home like it was the Alamo.

A 77-year-old rancher gave drug-cartel thugs the fight of their lives when they tried to take possession of his sprawling property in northern Mexico, becoming a folk hero in a region ravaged by violence.

Alejo Garza Tamez turned his humble farmhouse into a fortress for his last stand — lining up his numerous hunting rifles in windows and doorways — after receiving an ultimatum on Nov. 13 from the drug-gang guerrillas to vacate within 24 hours or die.

The lionhearted rancher was ready when two truckloads of heavily armed gang members returned the next morning.

Obviously this was a man not to be fucked with. Hell the only way those thugs were able to finally end the firefight was to lob grenades into his home:

He shot so fast and furiously that the confused cartel assumed there were several people inside. Dropping their assault rifles, the thugs lobbed hand grenades into the ranch house until the shooting stopped.

When the Mexican army finally showed up after the gunfight, they found four dead and two injured gang members piled in a heap outside the shelled, bullet-pocked farmhouse.

Inside, amid a pile of rubble, was the lifeless, bullet-riddled Garza, two weapons at his side.

It’s also nice to see that the Mexican army will eventually show up… after all the shooting has concluded of course. It’s sad to see a man as bad ass as Mr. Tamez go but by God he went down in a blaze of glory. Do not give into evil would be the best phrase here.

Cold Weather Carry

It’s winter and that means heavy coats are back in season. This comes as a double-edge sword for those of us who carry because a large coat offers better concealment of our firearm but also makes getting to it more difficult. For example it would be damned hard for me to draw my .45 sitting inside my inside the waistband holster while I’m wearing my greatcoat. Since cold weather preparation is important I thought I’d bring up some points to consider when carrying in the winter.

Last year I purchased a Ruger LCP because I wanted a small pocketable pistol. Most people want a small gun for carrying in the summer as higher heat usually means shedding of clothing making concealment of larger firearms more difficult. I really have no issue concealing my Glock 30SF in the summer and wanted the pocket pistol for a different season, winter.

My Ruger LCP fits perfectly inside the front pockets of my greatcoat meaning I have something at hand while walking around in the winter. As I said there is no practical way for me to draw my primary gun while wearing my coat but I do have constant access to my front pockets. I could probably fit a larger firearm in there but then I’m dealing with having a gun that works well for winter and really nothing else (I also carry my LCP when I have to wear a suit as my suit pants are large enough to accommodate a pistol and I often find times where I have to take the suit coat off). Thus I’m an advocate for purchasing a pocket pistol for use during the winter in Minnesota.

Another thing to remember is shooting with gloves on can be difficult. I have some cheap knit surplus gloves that I wear in the winter because they’re fairly warm and thin enough that I can get my gloved finger into the trigger guard of my pistols. If you have very large gloves to note you may not be able to get your finger on the trigger while wearing them. Thus it’s important to head to the range and test your winter gear as it relates to carrying because an attacker probably isn’t going to give you time to remove your gloves in order to shoot him. Another option are mittens with the flip up from that exposes your fingers. These are popular with hunters but once again I question being able to get my fingers exposed quickly if I’m in a self-defense situation.

Basically we’re back to the basic rule of carry, test your setup with all your different clothing options.