Stupid Is As Stupid Does

This Guy writes about the deepest advice column question-and-answer I think I've ever seen.   Summary:
- Woman writes in, her daughter lives with her and owns a handgun.  Woman wants advice to get the daughter out.  
- Advice columnist repeats often-cited and more often debunked #FakeNews "statistics" about the dangers of gun ownership.

The only thing the daughter might be guilty of is purchasing a .40 caliber, instead of a 9mm. But that's not too bad a decision in the big picture. 

The Coming Scourging

If you prepare... be forewarned, you will likely be facing state actors with crew served weapons for some of the coming scourgung.  Plan accordingly.

Yes, some military and police will be patriots.  Yes, some will stay loyal to the tyranny. 

We know that after a catastrophic SHTF event many things will change including military and first responder roles. Some of these people will be good guys some will be bad guys. Like all people after an event, you have to decide what’s best for you, your family and your group.

No Free Lunch

About a year ago, a friend was taking a handgun class from a major training facility. He posted word on social media, asking if anyone else wanted to join him - the benefit being he had already paid for lodging.  There were a couple of interested responses. When they found out the cost of the class ($500), they were no longer interested. One even said, "oh, I thought it would be free."

Folks, you get what you pay for.  

Believe it or not, I have actually attended a free gun class. Although there was a semblance of a syllabus and structure, it was not run well at all.  The information was significantly less than one receives in a paid class.   And this class was 4 hours lecture, range for 20 minutes each. 

Which begs the question - what are you paying for in a paid class?

Instruction
A professional instructor will have a good syllabus, expertise in that field, ability, and a method to the teaching.  Additionally, while it's your first class, so you think it's all new, he has seen all of this dozens of times.

Syllabus
Yes, this is different from instruction.  The course framework has to fit together.  It has to teach a specific lesson from the ground up.  

Standardization
Lets take targets, for example (target stands and backers, too). Sure, you could have a "free" class and ask folks to bring their own.  You can even "reccomend" or "require" certain targets.  But rest assured, folks will buy and bring different targets. Or no targets at all - "I forgot!"

Suppose you have a handout.  You could send an electronic one to folks ahead of class and ask they print it and bring it.  And 1 out of 3 will actually do that.   And the other 2/3rds will ask "do you have an extra one, I forgot." (starting to see a trend?)

What about insurance? You could require everyone buy a per-use event liability. Again, a few would and most would "forget." And some would sign waivers saying they had personal health insurance and they actually don't.

Ancillary items - loaner guns, eye protection, ear protection, extra materials to make class go better.  All of these things a professional paid class will have that a free one just won't. 


So just remember - you get what you pay for and there's no free lunch. 

Steady Hold

Some myths just won't die.  Recently, the myth of the AR15 magazine monopod causing jams made it's way back into my life.   A former PMI discussed how using the magazine as a rest was strongly discouraged in the USMC.

This blog post shall serve as a reference for this topic.   Here are some links to articles debunking the myth:

 Guns & Ammo

 SWAT Magazine

 Art of The Rifle

 Recoil

The Recoil article has interviews with seven major gun trainers.  Of the seven, all except Paul Howe teach it... and Howe does not teach it for a different reason than you're thinking.  From the article:

"I teach high on the elbows for basic classes.  The why is important.  High elbows allow a shooter to fire slick (no gear), patrol gear/vest, Tac Gear/SWAT Gear and military gear.  In short it is one position that will accommodate all equipment.  I find that when I put ceramic plates on and a vest carrier, I cannot physically get my head low enough to see my sights when I put the magazine on the ground and shoot.  Add a helmet and it becomes even more complicated.

Next, I have never seen it cause a malfunction.  It may change your zero as your head and eye are in a different position as the position may require you to address the weapon differently."

All of the others teach magazine rest.  

Case closed. 

Is It Corrupt?

From Twitter -

Rifleman: "Ladies and gentlemen, all police departments have quotas.  None of them like calling it a 'quota'."

Reply: "Not all. Corrupt ones yes."

Rifleman: "Show me one that doesn't."

Reply: "The 2 I worked for and many others."

Rifleman: "Tweeted too early...
Show me one that doesn't and I'll show you one that hasn't been caught yet."

Reply: "Well chit. I should have collected my Grandfather click and Rolex when I retired. #WhoKnew 😂 "

Rifleman: "I'm in the same boat - I also used to work for a company that gave me a quota without any extra compensation.  Left for greener pastures years ago."


Some takeaways -
1. The entire exchange proves that they dislike the use of the word "quota."

2. The reply was a false dilemma logical fallacy. Every police department has expectations for every one of its employees. In the tradition of the  no true scotsman, the replier's logical fallacy would imply that some (most) police departments do not have job expectations for their officers. 

3. The final reply is an example of a circular reasoning logical fallacy. " I didn't receive any money from the tickets I wrote, therefore I was not corrupt." One does not have to be the final recipient of stolen goods in order to be guilty of theft.

Not Born That Way

Gay people and transgender folks  are not born that way, according to Johns Hopkins research. 

The rifleman still contends it's just a way to seek attention in most cases.  

Sad Times

My father-in-law passed away late last week.  Funeral is today.  My children have no living biological grandparents. 

Climate Hoax

Man made "Climate Change" is a hoax... #FakeNews if you will. 

Glacier National Park Quietly Removes Its “Gone By 2020” Signs.

Why were the signs removed?
From the article -
In recent years the National Park Service prominently featured brochures, signs and films which boldly proclaimed that all glaciers at GNP were melting away rapidly. 

But now officials at GNP seem to be scrambling to hide or replace their previous hysterical claims while avoiding any notice to the public that the claims were inaccurate. Teams from Lysander Spooner University visiting the Park each September have noted that GNP’s most famous glaciers such as the Grinnell Glacier and the Jackson Glacier appear to have been growing – not shrinking – since about 2010. (The Jackson Glacier—easily seen from the Going-To-The-Sun Highway—may have grown as much as 25% or more over the past decade.)


Key part -
"... GROWING - NOT SHRINKING..."

You won't see or hear of a retraction.  

For Thee, Not Me

Tennessee Republicans made sure “law enforcement” was exempted from the new distracted driving law.

We can argue the merits and lack thereof of this law by itself.  To exempt law enforcement is absolutely terrible.  Tyranny like this is why the second revolution is coming.  Are you ready?

Cost of Quotas

Ridgetop, TN has  dissolved its police department. It is widely speculated that the fact that the officials got caught in the middle of an illegal ticket quota is at the root of the action. 

 Another link.

Folks, all police departments have quotas.  And none of them like calling it that.