Another Gun Blog has a rundown on the "requirements" that a DC citizen needs to fulfill before they give them their rights.
Keep playing your little games DC, and sooner or later you will get slapped upside the head with another lawsuit.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The ban that should not be
What is happening to our country when there are people who set out to ban everything that could be potentially harmfull? This is a destructive mentality that will destroy the freedoms that we hold so dear. What ever happened to "your right to swing your arm stops where my nose begins?" The minds Americans are changing to where now it's "your right to swing your arm stops at precisely one third of the way between your right nipple and left nostril hole so as to not violate the Lumbar Torque Protection Act which bans random arm swinging to prevent back injuries."
Pansies! Why not just ban injury and death?
Take this moron for example. Denise Bryant of Stafford is proposing to ban swimming in the Rappahannock River because several people drown in it every year. Here's today's dose of severe stupid:
Really? I thought we put measures in place to secure the blessings of liberty. Crazy me. Funny how I've swam in that river my whole life without nary a problem, just like tens of thousands of people do every year. Just to follow the logic though, let's just place a ban on swimming in the ocean too because one might drown there. Oh. We've done that.
What else have we banned to save us from ourselves? Trans-fats? In some places. Did you know there is an organization called The Campaign To Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils? How about smoking? Halfway there! Cell phone use? Throwing your mortar board at graduation? T-shirts picturing a gun at airports? Window mounted air conditioners? Incandescent light bulbs? American Flag on T-shirts in highschool? They freaking tried! Hugging? The list goes on and on.
In light of this mentality, I have a sincere recommendation to nanny state politicians along with pompous soccer moms. Take your liberal, "progressive," banning-things-to-make-the-world-a-safer/better-place, flawed ideology and shove it way up your ass. Seriously. Find a better way to occupy your time "for the children," and leave the heavy thinking to more rational people.
Or just move to Russia. The politics there will suit your fancy.
Pansies! Why not just ban injury and death?
Take this moron for example. Denise Bryant of Stafford is proposing to ban swimming in the Rappahannock River because several people drown in it every year. Here's today's dose of severe stupid:
How many more people will drown before officials say enough's enough?
When something harms the population, we put measures into place to stop it. Sometimes those measures are expensive; however, we deem them necessary because they save lives.
Really? I thought we put measures in place to secure the blessings of liberty. Crazy me. Funny how I've swam in that river my whole life without nary a problem, just like tens of thousands of people do every year. Just to follow the logic though, let's just place a ban on swimming in the ocean too because one might drown there. Oh. We've done that.
What else have we banned to save us from ourselves? Trans-fats? In some places. Did you know there is an organization called The Campaign To Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils? How about smoking? Halfway there! Cell phone use? Throwing your mortar board at graduation? T-shirts picturing a gun at airports? Window mounted air conditioners? Incandescent light bulbs? American Flag on T-shirts in highschool? They freaking tried! Hugging? The list goes on and on.
In light of this mentality, I have a sincere recommendation to nanny state politicians along with pompous soccer moms. Take your liberal, "progressive," banning-things-to-make-the-world-a-safer/better-place, flawed ideology and shove it way up your ass. Seriously. Find a better way to occupy your time "for the children," and leave the heavy thinking to more rational people.
Or just move to Russia. The politics there will suit your fancy.
Carjackers deterred by gunfire?
Well, duh! 5 guys are no match for a man with a gun. Well...most of the time.
This particular guy is a Secret Service agent. Notice how they call him the victim vs. calling the scumbag that he shot the victim like they do when us mere mortals who were not trained by the hand of Jack Bauer.
Armed defense works.
This particular guy is a Secret Service agent. Notice how they call him the victim vs. calling the scumbag that he shot the victim like they do when us mere mortals who were not trained by the hand of Jack Bauer.
Armed defense works.
A non-hysterical news segment on firearms!
It even includes real facts and stuff.
They first note that DC is putting together a handgun registry, but that DC residents still can't get firearms, including handguns, because they don't have guns stores in the district. Federal law says that a state resident has to buy a gun from a FFL in their own state, and since there are only three FFL's in the district, the Brady Campaign holding one of them, DC residents have to wait until gun stores wade through the red tape and can open up.
If Mayor Fenty and his ilk try to keep FFLs from being issued, they very well may end up with another suit on their hands as fed-up citizens dismantle their little anti-gun playhouse brick-by-brick.
The video notes that it is a felony to buy an out of state firearm unless it's transferred through a local FFL.
I know. You mean there are strict federal laws in place with serious consequences for obtaining a firearm illegally? That's not what the Brady Campaign to Prevent Self Defense has been saying for the last 20 years. I thought teddy bears were more regulated than guns (no link intentionally)?
Who knew? They even call this federal law what it is: a defacto gun ban. Hopefully this pointless law will be on the chopping block in the near future.
Anyways, the piece has an interview with the owner of Engage Armament, a Maryland gun store, and his daughter. He recommends a shotgun for home defense, and also has a variety of different gun locks for those with kids.
Weird huh? A gun store owner recommending a safety device as a choice for consumers. He even says that education is the key to safety, and not a device. His daughter backs him up by saying that education kept her from being curious about firearms as a child.
All this in one news report? You bet.
They first note that DC is putting together a handgun registry, but that DC residents still can't get firearms, including handguns, because they don't have guns stores in the district. Federal law says that a state resident has to buy a gun from a FFL in their own state, and since there are only three FFL's in the district, the Brady Campaign holding one of them, DC residents have to wait until gun stores wade through the red tape and can open up.
If Mayor Fenty and his ilk try to keep FFLs from being issued, they very well may end up with another suit on their hands as fed-up citizens dismantle their little anti-gun playhouse brick-by-brick.
The video notes that it is a felony to buy an out of state firearm unless it's transferred through a local FFL.
I know. You mean there are strict federal laws in place with serious consequences for obtaining a firearm illegally? That's not what the Brady Campaign to Prevent Self Defense has been saying for the last 20 years. I thought teddy bears were more regulated than guns (no link intentionally)?
Who knew? They even call this federal law what it is: a defacto gun ban. Hopefully this pointless law will be on the chopping block in the near future.
Anyways, the piece has an interview with the owner of Engage Armament, a Maryland gun store, and his daughter. He recommends a shotgun for home defense, and also has a variety of different gun locks for those with kids.
Weird huh? A gun store owner recommending a safety device as a choice for consumers. He even says that education is the key to safety, and not a device. His daughter backs him up by saying that education kept her from being curious about firearms as a child.
All this in one news report? You bet.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Postpone
Movie guns will have to wait until tomorrow. I just got home from an all day shoot with an awful sunburn, and I need some sleep.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Fun time!
I'm off the clock for today. Movie guns sometime tonight or tomorrow, and if the rain holds off I may be able to start my next shooting experiment.
New additions
I've been getting all sorts of linkage from Gearcult, and I just realised that I wasn't linked on my blogroll. Sorry hoss.
I've also added a link to Simple Musings from a Guy With Guns.
There's strength in numbers, so stay connected.
I've also added a link to Simple Musings from a Guy With Guns.
There's strength in numbers, so stay connected.
Wilmette, IL suspends handgun ban
GunPundit notes that a Chicago suburb has suspended its handgun ban in light of the Supreme Court decision in DC vs Heller.
Too bad DC is already trying to circumvent the ruling - via Armed Canadian. Tyrants!
Too bad DC is already trying to circumvent the ruling - via Armed Canadian. Tyrants!
Friday, June 27, 2008
And the ACLU says...
....cricket...cricket.
Regarding the individual rights decision in the Heller case, I found one piece about three measly paragraphs long on their website under the "newsroom" tab, and nothing on the "Blog of Rights."
Yes, their blog actually says "because freedom can't blog itself," and no, I won't link to either one. I thought that would give you a laugh.
Regarding the individual rights decision in the Heller case, I found one piece about three measly paragraphs long on their website under the "newsroom" tab, and nothing on the "Blog of Rights."
Yes, their blog actually says "because freedom can't blog itself," and no, I won't link to either one. I thought that would give you a laugh.
New website
Found on Tam's website, it's called ChicagoGunCase, and it is run by the Second Amendment Foundation and Gura and Possessky PLLC. Alan Gura is Heller's attorney BTW.
Taking the fight to the enemy
Apparently the Illinois State Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation filed suit against the city of Chicago 15 minutes after the Heller ruling!
Way to run the ball!
It would seem that gun owners are now the proverbial monster braying at the door of unconstitutional gun laws while city officials across the nation are throwing all of the furniture in front of it in some sort of futile attempt to keep it from being ripped from the threshhold.
Way to run the ball!
It would seem that gun owners are now the proverbial monster braying at the door of unconstitutional gun laws while city officials across the nation are throwing all of the furniture in front of it in some sort of futile attempt to keep it from being ripped from the threshhold.
Video on Heller decision
I love Brownells
I order some stuff from Brownells at 0700 this morning and I get this at 1016:
Fast!
This wouldn't be the first time as I order from there almost weekly. I made an online order there about a month ago on a Sunday (they're closed on Sunday), and then I called Monday morning to add to the order. I received an email about an hour later saying my order was shipped and the package arrived on Wednesday.
You can't beat that!
Fast!
This wouldn't be the first time as I order from there almost weekly. I made an online order there about a month ago on a Sunday (they're closed on Sunday), and then I called Monday morning to add to the order. I received an email about an hour later saying my order was shipped and the package arrived on Wednesday.
You can't beat that!
The impact of Heller
Well, if you are watching the news this morning you would think that it's the end of the world. I hear journalists talk about "mixed reactions" and "some feel positive about the decision," yet they don't interview any of those people. It's almost like their biased or something.
Personally, I think that things are pretty much gonna stay the same for awhile. It's very likely that shootings are going to go up some, and the media will be all over it, but an increase in shootings and "gun deaths" does not mean an increase in murder. Some DC residents are going to keep a loaded handgun in their home, and they have a good chance of slaying some goblin who breaks in trying to steal, so it's probable that there are going to be more cases of "justifiable homicide," if DC even has such a thing.
Right now it looks as though DC residents are only going to be allowed revolvers, which is a start. Demonizing semi-auto pistols is kinda dumb, and I don't think that will last very long, but in the meantime, if I lived in crime riddled DC, I would be very comforted sleeping next to this.
The reason I think that the impact will be slight is that the Heller decision doesn't allow for carry. Think of the poor mother living in SE having to run out to the store at 9 o'clock at night to pick up baby formula. She can't carry a little .38 in her purse to protect herself in the parking lot, which is unfortunate. Still, her being able to stand her ground against thugs while in her own house is definitely a plus, regardless of all of the huffing and puffing by us folk of the gun about how the Heller decision wasn't a complete win for gun rights.
Think about it. They have had nothing to lawfully defend themselves with for 32 years! DC residents can't even use pepper spray. Now, in their own home, they can unlock the shotgun and actually load the blasted thing. Not only that, but they can have a handgun too! How cool is that?
Some people are saying stuff along the lines of "now criminals will be able to get guns," as if that hasn't been going on for decades now. How can they say that with a straight face? Criminals will continue to buy guns from their criminal friends, and they will probably steal them from citizens as well, but now they have a much better chance of facing grave danger on their next break-in.
Which thug is gonna be the first?
Personally, I think that things are pretty much gonna stay the same for awhile. It's very likely that shootings are going to go up some, and the media will be all over it, but an increase in shootings and "gun deaths" does not mean an increase in murder. Some DC residents are going to keep a loaded handgun in their home, and they have a good chance of slaying some goblin who breaks in trying to steal, so it's probable that there are going to be more cases of "justifiable homicide," if DC even has such a thing.
Right now it looks as though DC residents are only going to be allowed revolvers, which is a start. Demonizing semi-auto pistols is kinda dumb, and I don't think that will last very long, but in the meantime, if I lived in crime riddled DC, I would be very comforted sleeping next to this.
The reason I think that the impact will be slight is that the Heller decision doesn't allow for carry. Think of the poor mother living in SE having to run out to the store at 9 o'clock at night to pick up baby formula. She can't carry a little .38 in her purse to protect herself in the parking lot, which is unfortunate. Still, her being able to stand her ground against thugs while in her own house is definitely a plus, regardless of all of the huffing and puffing by us folk of the gun about how the Heller decision wasn't a complete win for gun rights.
Think about it. They have had nothing to lawfully defend themselves with for 32 years! DC residents can't even use pepper spray. Now, in their own home, they can unlock the shotgun and actually load the blasted thing. Not only that, but they can have a handgun too! How cool is that?
Some people are saying stuff along the lines of "now criminals will be able to get guns," as if that hasn't been going on for decades now. How can they say that with a straight face? Criminals will continue to buy guns from their criminal friends, and they will probably steal them from citizens as well, but now they have a much better chance of facing grave danger on their next break-in.
Which thug is gonna be the first?
Not quite the mark of the beast
I can't click on any news link without running into ten things to mock DC over. Seriously.
This bit is about how DC will be implementing an "all purpose ID card" to cover every sort of public service within the district. Here's the gooey inside stuff:
"Were government, and we are dedicated to keeping your information secure! Trust us!"
This bit is about how DC will be implementing an "all purpose ID card" to cover every sort of public service within the district. Here's the gooey inside stuff:
The card would be mandatory for D.C. government employees and public school students, but other citizens could get them, too.Yaaaaaay! Be the first kid on your block to be entered in the government database!!!
City officials said personal information about the user will not be stored on the card. Instead, the information will be kept in a central database.Like that's a great place for your sensitive information to be.
"Were government, and we are dedicated to keeping your information secure! Trust us!"
Quick...grab my deck!!!
DC is holding another "All hands on deck" police state ho-down to vainly try to bring down crime in the area.
They have tried this tactic before and failed, and by failed I mean that it did not reduce violent crime, but DC always calls them a success, and by success they mean that they arrested the shit out of people for getting high and not using their turn signal.
Nothing to see here!
They have tried this tactic before and failed, and by failed I mean that it did not reduce violent crime, but DC always calls them a success, and by success they mean that they arrested the shit out of people for getting high and not using their turn signal.
Nothing to see here!
Surveillance cameras don't stop crime?
Surely you jest?
Somehow I doubt that the thugs will "come forward."
"Portions of the attack were caught on a surveillance camera outside a towing company on the city's east side. Police said the videotape shows passing cars slowing to watch three teens attack Waters until he staggered into the parking lot, where he was assisted by employees of the towing company."Well of course they just watched. People are told over and over again to not get involved and to just call the police. Be good little witnesses and don't get involved, or you might get hurt. I don't even understand why cities pay for cameras these days when most crimes are caught on some passerby's cell phone.
"It was just horrifying the way he looked," said Marlo Massey, Waters' sister, who saw her brother's body after the attack. "They beat him to death and I just can't stop thinking what was on his mind while it was happening."I know what would be on mind. Here's something interesting:
"The pack mentality going on in the city of Cleveland must end," police Commander Calvin Williams said Thursday at a news conference where he urged the attackers to come forward.Actually, the good citizens of Cleveland appear to be in need of some pack mentality. Then this story might have ended with the thugs getting the beating instead of a homeless man.
Somehow I doubt that the thugs will "come forward."
Thursday, June 26, 2008
VCDL take on Heller decision
Via the VCDL's outstanding VA-ALERT, posted in full:
The affirming and two dissenting opinions are in a 157 page document that can be downloaded here:
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-290.pdf
The affirming and two dissenting opinions are in a 157 page document that can be downloaded here:
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-290.pdf
My reaction to reading it the first time:
1. It says a blanket ban on popular self-defense guns, like handguns, are unconstitutional (Chicago, here we come!).
2. It held a trigger lock and disassembly requirement, which makes the firearm useless for self-defense, is also unconstitutional. (Yes!)
3. It does allow for a locality to require a license to possess a firearm in the home(ugh), but requires that such license be forthcoming and not denied arbitrarily and capriciously.
4. It says that carrying a gun in a person's home is protected, but is silent on carrying outside the home. (That's because the Heller case didn't address carry outside the home.)
5. It says that carrying CONCEALED firearms can be restricted or prohibited (ugh).
6. It says that long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons (they should have said 'violent felons' in my opinion) and the mentally ill are OK.
7. It also says that prohibiting carry in "sensitive" locations like schools and government buildings are OK. (This is way too broad and most government buildings are not sensitive. Military and government intelligence buildings, yes. DMV or most other local/state government buildings, no.)
8. Conditions and qualifications can be imposed on the commercial sale of arms (like requiring a background check, apparently). Such conditions and qualifications not being overly restrictive is not addressed. :-(
9. "Dangerous and unusual weapons" are not protected (they consider machine guns to be such a weapon since most people do not own them). The logic in saying machine guns are not protected because most people don't own one for self--defense (and hence are "unusual") is a circular one. More people WOULD own machine guns if they were EASY and INEXPENSIVE to get! But they aren't because of existing laws that infringed on the ownership of such guns put in place back in 1934 and 1968.
Sheesh.
So the end result is a mixed bag. People in DC (and hopefully soon, Chicago) can now have a loaded gun, including a handgun, in their home for self-defense and can move said gun around freely within their home. It allows for a license requirement to have such a gun, but requires the license be forthcoming and not denied on a whim. It does not protect concealed carry in any way nor does it require permits to do so not be arbitrarily and capriciously denied. This is a battle that will have to be fought another day and one that is quite possibly winnable.
Bans on carry in schools and government buildings and perhaps other "sensitive" locations are constitutional. Because "sensitive" is not clearly defined, this is going to be a headache.
We will continue to have the purchase of firearms loaded down with qualifications and conditions. :-(
--
Be sure and take the Washington Post poll here (thanks to Bill Smith for the link):
http://tinyurl.com/5x4u8d
--
You would think that hunters and shooters would be happy...
...but the American Hunters and Shooters Association (not linked intentionally), a shill anti-gun group that swears they are pro-gun, doesn't seem to notice the landmark gun rights case.
Weird. The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) sent me an email within seconds of the Heller decision.
Funny how real activism works, huh?
Weird. The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) sent me an email within seconds of the Heller decision.
Funny how real activism works, huh?
DC vs Heller decision
And the winner is: HELLER! with 2 Justices dissenting.
From SCOTUS Blog:
More to follow when it's available.
Update: Here is the link to the opinion by Justice Scalia.
Here's some of the opinion:
Some of this is not so good, but I'm not a lawyer so I will post more when I get it.
From SCOTUS Blog:
The Court has released the opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290), on whether the District’s firearms regulations – which bar the possession of handguns and require shotguns and rifles to be kept disassembled or under trigger lock – violate the Second Amendment. The ruling below, which struck down the provisions in question, is affirmed.
Justice Scalia wrote the opinion. Justice Breyer dissented, joined by Justices Stevens, Souter and Ginsburg. We will provide a link to the decision as soon as it is available.Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm.
It is striking that the decision is not clouded by ambiguity created by separate opinions. One opinion on each side.
Apologies - there is a second dissenting opinion, but only one majority - no plurality and no concurrences.
More to follow when it's available.
Update: Here is the link to the opinion by Justice Scalia.
Here's some of the opinion:
The handgun ban and the trigger-lock requirement (as applied to self-defense) violate the Second Amendment. The District’s total ban on handgun possession in the home amounts to a prohibition on an entire class of “arms” that Americans overwhelmingly choose for the lawful purpose of self-defense. Under any of the standards of scrutiny the Court has applied to enumerated constitutional rights, this prohibition—in the place where the importance of the lawful defense of self, family, and property is most acute—would fail constitutional muster. Similarly, the requirement that any lawful firearm in the home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and is hence unconstitutional. Because Heller conceded at oral argument that the D. C. licensing law is permissible if it is not enforced arbitrarily and capriciously, the Court assumes that a license will satisfy his prayer for relief and does not address the licensing requirement. Assuming he is not disqualified from exercising Second Amendment rights, the District must permit Heller to register his handgun and must issue him a license to carry it in the home. Pp. 56–64.
Some of this is not so good, but I'm not a lawyer so I will post more when I get it.
Oh! The horror!
Parents of minors allowing their kids to drink alcohol? That's just insane! Everyone knows that kids should be kept in the dark about alcohol so that they will never become curious and learn to drink from the local homeless guy in alleyway behind the Piggly Wiggly.
And when this article (and possibly the study) says "drinking," they actually mean "getting hammer drunk" because parents exercise no restraint when it comes to actually taking the time to teach life lessons to their young. Parents don't have the common sense to let their kids have a Miller Light or two so that they get the taste (pun intended) of what social drinking is all about, and instead opt to give their kids overwhelming doses of booze every time. The solution, of course, is probably government control of some sort, although that is not in the article.
How many of those 7.2 million people who binge drink learned how by hanging out with the homeless guy? And I'm sorry, but one does not become responsible enough to drink on some arbitrary day that some congressman thinks up, nor does one earn responsibility from "abstinence" from the hard stuff, or anything for that matter. Responsibility is something that proper parenting can prepare you for, so this alarmism is ridiculous.
I would rather my kids learn to drink responsibly under my supervision at my home than to learn to binge drink at college from a guy earning a career education. It really blows some people away that parents want to teach their 18 year old some self control and let them drink in the safety of their home. Maybe parents should just ignore it or tell them that "it's just bad, m'kay, so don't so it" since that has worked out so well for sex and drugs. I'm not saying to give your kids drugs or supervise their first sexual encounter before sending them off to college, but it's freaking alcohol, not heroin. Think letting the state teach your kids about drunk driving is a good thing?
I think parenting in America is going down the toilet because too many people are scared of actually disciplining or teaching their kids lessons in life. Instead they let the school systems or the courts parent their kids, and that is turning out to be really dangerous.
Grow up and take back control over your kids lives.
And when this article (and possibly the study) says "drinking," they actually mean "getting hammer drunk" because parents exercise no restraint when it comes to actually taking the time to teach life lessons to their young. Parents don't have the common sense to let their kids have a Miller Light or two so that they get the taste (pun intended) of what social drinking is all about, and instead opt to give their kids overwhelming doses of booze every time. The solution, of course, is probably government control of some sort, although that is not in the article.
About one out of five of those aged 12 to 20 -- or roughly 7.2 million people -- said they had taken part in binge drinking, defined as consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past month, the survey said. Rates were significantly higher if they lived with a parent who engaged in binge drinking.
How many of those 7.2 million people who binge drink learned how by hanging out with the homeless guy? And I'm sorry, but one does not become responsible enough to drink on some arbitrary day that some congressman thinks up, nor does one earn responsibility from "abstinence" from the hard stuff, or anything for that matter. Responsibility is something that proper parenting can prepare you for, so this alarmism is ridiculous.
Over half of current underage alcohol users were at someone else's home when they had their last drink, while 30.3 percent were in their own home.
I would rather my kids learn to drink responsibly under my supervision at my home than to learn to binge drink at college from a guy earning a career education. It really blows some people away that parents want to teach their 18 year old some self control and let them drink in the safety of their home. Maybe parents should just ignore it or tell them that "it's just bad, m'kay, so don't so it" since that has worked out so well for sex and drugs. I'm not saying to give your kids drugs or supervise their first sexual encounter before sending them off to college, but it's freaking alcohol, not heroin. Think letting the state teach your kids about drunk driving is a good thing?
I think parenting in America is going down the toilet because too many people are scared of actually disciplining or teaching their kids lessons in life. Instead they let the school systems or the courts parent their kids, and that is turning out to be really dangerous.
Grow up and take back control over your kids lives.
Fake utility workers rob homes
Be careful of who you let into your house.
I don't let anyone in unless they are family, friends, or a business that I have personally called and scheduled an appointment with. If someone just "shows up" to work on my telephone or what not than they get a swift "piss off."
So sorry.
I don't let anyone in unless they are family, friends, or a business that I have personally called and scheduled an appointment with. If someone just "shows up" to work on my telephone or what not than they get a swift "piss off."
So sorry.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Movie Review
On the movie Pale Rider over at Hell in a Handbasket. It is not one of Clint Eastwood's better movies, and I didn't know it was a remake of the movie Shane. Some interesting questions are raised on authenticity, as well as a little bit of WTF were they thinking, which can be seen in the screen shots.
Go take a look.
Go take a look.
This is why I don't pull over for unmarked police cars
Fake cop pulls over real cop. Ooops!
If an unmarked police car blue lights me, you can bet I will get into the right lane, maintain the speed limit, and wait for a marked car. I mean no disrespect, but it is what it is. Years ago I had a friend who was pulled over twice by fake cops in two separate incidences. The second guy got caught and my friend went to court to testify against him.
If an unmarked police car blue lights me, you can bet I will get into the right lane, maintain the speed limit, and wait for a marked car. I mean no disrespect, but it is what it is. Years ago I had a friend who was pulled over twice by fake cops in two separate incidences. The second guy got caught and my friend went to court to testify against him.
More non-gun murders in Japan
Man kills (allegedly) his entire family with a hammer. A feeble 77 year old man at that. Guns, knives, hammers, crossbows....there is no difference because weapons do not kill; people do. Simple.
2 years...
That's all this scumbag received for selling guns to high school students at Albert Einstein High School in Maryland. This would be the same incident where a student who was a potential buyer fired a round into the bathroom wall.
Is this what is meant by getting "tough on crime?" Any bets as to how long it will take this guy to get back into the criminal life when he's paroled in 13 months? 2 years is a drop in the bucket.
Is this what is meant by getting "tough on crime?" Any bets as to how long it will take this guy to get back into the criminal life when he's paroled in 13 months? 2 years is a drop in the bucket.
Shot by the Sheriff
When a gunman took hostages at a government building in Minnesota, the hostages called the cops who promptly killed the man. Good.
What gives me the giggles is: how do you explain to your wife with a straight face that you were held at gunpoint by a man who runs a store called Lookin' Fine Smut and Porno, and who has been convicted for promoting and profiting from prostitution? Stuff like that seldom happens in a lifetime, and when it does you just have to have a sense of humor.
What gives me the giggles is: how do you explain to your wife with a straight face that you were held at gunpoint by a man who runs a store called Lookin' Fine Smut and Porno, and who has been convicted for promoting and profiting from prostitution? Stuff like that seldom happens in a lifetime, and when it does you just have to have a sense of humor.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Anbar to be turned over to the Iraqis
Blackfive has the skinny. He points out that the media could care less, which if you have read the news this morning you can see that this is true.
This is a huge deal. I was in Anbar in 2006, and it was a mess. Lately the Marines ran a marathon through the city.
I wish that for once the fruits of our Warfighter's labor would get its due airtime on the news.
This is a huge deal. I was in Anbar in 2006, and it was a mess. Lately the Marines ran a marathon through the city.
I wish that for once the fruits of our Warfighter's labor would get its due airtime on the news.
Primitive weapons making a comeback
More crossbow craziness. There's been a couple of these recently, but this time no one was killed.
What bothers me is the charge of "making terroristic threats." What the hell does that mean? It seems to me that every year there are more crimes invented with newer and more sensational terms to make them stick in the public's mind.
What bothers me is the charge of "making terroristic threats." What the hell does that mean? It seems to me that every year there are more crimes invented with newer and more sensational terms to make them stick in the public's mind.
Spray and pray not very effective
Three thugs shoot up a house with a bunch of rounds and kill the homeowner. Why it took "100 rounds of ammo" instead of one is anybody's guess.
Monday, June 23, 2008
A great post...
...over at Armed Canadian on the regulation, or lack thereof, of cap-and-ball firearms, flintlocks, and even older guns that were used by our founding fathers. It's well known that the anti-gun agenda is about control, not safety, and this has become painfully obvious as several states have tried to regulate these weapons.
Read and be educated.
Read and be educated.
Monday morning roundup
The 2007 Crime Report from Virginia is out. Crime is slightly down, but was that 411 people were killed by murder/nonnegligent manslaughter last year within a population of 7,078,515 for a murder rate of 5.33. DC on the other hand, for 2006 had 169 murder/nonnegligent manslaughters amongst a population of 581.530 for a murder rate of 29.06. Weird.
DC Mayor Fenty is letting the DC taxpayers foot the bill for his security detail.
Somehow people keep getting shot and killed in "Gun Free DC." Impossible, right?
Virginia's prison system is jacked up because of leasing cells to other states.
Fairfax police make a false arrest on a North Carolina gun owner who was open carrying in VA, and then harass him, drop his gun in the road, and then harass him when he went to get his gun back. Via VCDL.
Philip Miles to be released from Russian prison tomorrow. If you don't remember, he was sentenced to 3 years for trying to bring a box of rifle cartridges to a friend he was visiting.
DC Mayor Fenty is letting the DC taxpayers foot the bill for his security detail.
Somehow people keep getting shot and killed in "Gun Free DC." Impossible, right?
Virginia's prison system is jacked up because of leasing cells to other states.
Fairfax police make a false arrest on a North Carolina gun owner who was open carrying in VA, and then harass him, drop his gun in the road, and then harass him when he went to get his gun back. Via VCDL.
Philip Miles to be released from Russian prison tomorrow. If you don't remember, he was sentenced to 3 years for trying to bring a box of rifle cartridges to a friend he was visiting.
Warning: contents under too much pressure
Yesterday my brother Seth I got to do a little shooting to test out some new loads that I cranked out for my DPMS AP4. I had about 500 various prepped and primed .223 Remington cases that I wanted to fill with some bargain bin Remington 55 grain FMJ rounds that I had ordered from Cabela's. I consulted with my trusty Sierra V edition, 2nd printing reloading manual and my Lyman 48th edition manual to find out what would be a good all-around load for target or Armageddon.
The Sierra manual has loads that were tested on a Colt AR15A2 HBAR with 20" barrel and 1:7" twist. Looking at the 55 grain loads showed 23 grains at the low side and 26.1 grains at the high side with 3,100 fps expected from AA-2230. Works for me because I had a shiny new pound of AA-2230 sitting around for just such occasion.
The Lyman manual gave a different story, although I really didn't give it but a mandatory glance, and I should have paid more attention. The load for the 55 grain soft point was given with 25 grains of AA-2230 giving a velocity of 3,272 fps with a Colt AR15, 20" barrel, and 1:7" twist.
I wanted to load these rounds towards the hot side considering the chamber for this gun is cut for both the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge which has more pressure, and the .223 Remington. I know, I know. I'm asking for trouble. The right thing to do is load several on the light side and then work up in powder charge until your either comfortable with the round or the ejected casings show signs of overpressure. I've been handloading for a long time, so I'm aware of the consequences, and also the rewards, of loading hot.
I went with 26 grains of AA-2230 and seated the round, after which I tried out my new Lee crimp die which gives a factory crimp. The die took about ten seconds to set up and delivered clean looking crimps on every round. I loaded 223 rounds (interesting) and then took off for my parents house for a little test and evaluation with my new Beta Chrony chronograph. I've never owned a chronograph before, and in my youth I tested my handloads by performance only. I took the reloading manual at its word, so I loaded what looked like a good performer and then checked for accuracy and pressure. It was that simple.
My goal was to shoot 23 of the rounds and then store the remaining 200 for the end of the world. My DPMS has a 16" barrel with a 1:9" twist rate, so I figured I would get about 2,800 fps out of it. I was wrong.
The first rounds clocked in at 3,278 and 3,250, and they sounded hotter than normal; like 5.56x45mm NATO judging from the muzzle blast. Looking at the first few cases (.223 and 5.56 cases - I know, I know) didn't reveal anything that would suggest that they might have too much pressure, so I let the barrel cool for awhile so I could shoot some groups. Accuracy was decent with one three shot group turning out at 7/8." Not too shabby.
Seth and I then set about shooting everything that we had on hand to find out what it was really doing. We quite literally had a blast. We fired a few different rifles: 7mm Magnums, .243 Winchester's, .22's, handguns. What a great time. Mother nature finally held out and decided not to rain on my day off, so that was a big plus.
At this point we fired off the rest of the loads for the DPMS, with Seth putting 9 rounds in the 8" Shoot-N-C targets at about 100 yards off hand, and some from a rest. Another look showed the resulting overpressure on the cases. I think the first rounds were Winchester cases which didn't seem to mind the pressure at all. The other cases were ones that I had picked up for months. Some of them were surplus, Federal, Lake City, Black Hills - you name it. The surplus cases had a crimped primer pocked which I reamed out to allow the primers to squeak by into the pocket, so it was no surprise to see that some of the primers were no longer in the case.
Other signs of over pressure were shiny or raised portions on the case head where the brass flowed into the ejector slot on the bolt face, and slightly deformed rims where the extractor had to pull hard to get he case out of the chamber. You can see this here in this picture. The case on the left is a Winchester which has been fired a few times. There's nothing wrong with it. The one in the middle is a no name case with the raised bump on the head at the 2 o'clock position, and the right case has the dent from the extractor.
I guess I'll lighten them up just a tad, and then finish loading the other 250 cases that I have sitting around.
The Sierra manual has loads that were tested on a Colt AR15A2 HBAR with 20" barrel and 1:7" twist. Looking at the 55 grain loads showed 23 grains at the low side and 26.1 grains at the high side with 3,100 fps expected from AA-2230. Works for me because I had a shiny new pound of AA-2230 sitting around for just such occasion.
The Lyman manual gave a different story, although I really didn't give it but a mandatory glance, and I should have paid more attention. The load for the 55 grain soft point was given with 25 grains of AA-2230 giving a velocity of 3,272 fps with a Colt AR15, 20" barrel, and 1:7" twist.
I wanted to load these rounds towards the hot side considering the chamber for this gun is cut for both the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge which has more pressure, and the .223 Remington. I know, I know. I'm asking for trouble. The right thing to do is load several on the light side and then work up in powder charge until your either comfortable with the round or the ejected casings show signs of overpressure. I've been handloading for a long time, so I'm aware of the consequences, and also the rewards, of loading hot.
I went with 26 grains of AA-2230 and seated the round, after which I tried out my new Lee crimp die which gives a factory crimp. The die took about ten seconds to set up and delivered clean looking crimps on every round. I loaded 223 rounds (interesting) and then took off for my parents house for a little test and evaluation with my new Beta Chrony chronograph. I've never owned a chronograph before, and in my youth I tested my handloads by performance only. I took the reloading manual at its word, so I loaded what looked like a good performer and then checked for accuracy and pressure. It was that simple.
My goal was to shoot 23 of the rounds and then store the remaining 200 for the end of the world. My DPMS has a 16" barrel with a 1:9" twist rate, so I figured I would get about 2,800 fps out of it. I was wrong.
The first rounds clocked in at 3,278 and 3,250, and they sounded hotter than normal; like 5.56x45mm NATO judging from the muzzle blast. Looking at the first few cases (.223 and 5.56 cases - I know, I know) didn't reveal anything that would suggest that they might have too much pressure, so I let the barrel cool for awhile so I could shoot some groups. Accuracy was decent with one three shot group turning out at 7/8." Not too shabby.
Seth and I then set about shooting everything that we had on hand to find out what it was really doing. We quite literally had a blast. We fired a few different rifles: 7mm Magnums, .243 Winchester's, .22's, handguns. What a great time. Mother nature finally held out and decided not to rain on my day off, so that was a big plus.
At this point we fired off the rest of the loads for the DPMS, with Seth putting 9 rounds in the 8" Shoot-N-C targets at about 100 yards off hand, and some from a rest. Another look showed the resulting overpressure on the cases. I think the first rounds were Winchester cases which didn't seem to mind the pressure at all. The other cases were ones that I had picked up for months. Some of them were surplus, Federal, Lake City, Black Hills - you name it. The surplus cases had a crimped primer pocked which I reamed out to allow the primers to squeak by into the pocket, so it was no surprise to see that some of the primers were no longer in the case.
Other signs of over pressure were shiny or raised portions on the case head where the brass flowed into the ejector slot on the bolt face, and slightly deformed rims where the extractor had to pull hard to get he case out of the chamber. You can see this here in this picture. The case on the left is a Winchester which has been fired a few times. There's nothing wrong with it. The one in the middle is a no name case with the raised bump on the head at the 2 o'clock position, and the right case has the dent from the extractor.
I guess I'll lighten them up just a tad, and then finish loading the other 250 cases that I have sitting around.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
More "I'm a gunowner...but"
Here's a garbage LTE at Fredericksburg.com about a man who doesn't know very much about guns, and wants everyone to leave their handguns at home so he can "feel safe." Sound familiar? Let's take a look:
Here's some "facts" that you seem to have missed. See page 17.
Those who carry for their safety don't care about a "fuzzy feeling of safety" because they are safe.
Rights are not subject to your "feeling safe." I don't feel safe around 85% of the drivers on the road, but that doesn't mean that they should turn in their keys to make me feel better.
Trained professionals like these guys, huh? So I guess when some jackass starts executing people in a shopping mall my best defense is to just let myself and family get killed because I'm too incompetent to handle a simple device under stress? How ever did so many veterans like myself function in an austere environment without killing everyone in sight? It seems like your confusing reality with TV again.
Just "point and click" is pretty absurd. I've got a short barrel 20 gauge and it is a fine home defense gun, but if you had the slightest clue about how they work you would know just how stupid you sound. See here for an illustrated test of shotgun penetration testing on drywall. And no, I won't leave my handgun at home and I plan on buying as many as my checkbook will allow, so with no due respect take your hot load of buck and stick it somewhere else.
Here is the comment that I left on the letter:
"Point and click?" Have you ever fired a shotgun at close range? I already know the answer - NO! Within the 30' or less of a house your shotgun is making about a 1" pattern; hardly "point and click," not to mention that a shotgun will penetrate just as many walls as a handgun, if not more. My safety, as well as my family's are not subject to your "feeling safe," and maybe Hollywood has had a profound impact on your life, but the rest of us grownups live in the real world.
Happiness is a warm (and fuzzy) handgun
Date published: 6/22/2008
Happiness is a warm (and fuzzy) handgunA recent pro-gun letter ["Concealed carry could save your life," June 10] citing the "facts" (2.5 million crimes per year prevented and lower crime rates) is straight out of the NRA "Handbook of Handy Facts" and got me to wondering when was the last time I heard the National Rifle Association mention anything about rifles.
Here's some "facts" that you seem to have missed. See page 17.
It's all about handguns, carry permits, and a warm, fuzzy feeling of safety because I'm packin' heat. Or maybe the people around me are packin'.
Those who carry for their safety don't care about a "fuzzy feeling of safety" because they are safe.
Somehow the thought of more guns on the street does not make me feel safer.
Rights are not subject to your "feeling safe." I don't feel safe around 85% of the drivers on the road, but that doesn't mean that they should turn in their keys to make me feel better.
We're being sold the Hollywood version of guns--a world where everyone's a dead eye dick and hits what they're aiming at. First shot, every shot.No, you obviously can't tell the difference between the make believe that Hollywood portrays and the real world where the rest of us live.
Reality paints a very different picture. News reports and those police-video TV programs show that, during times of extreme stress, even trained professionals will simply fill the air with lead and then check on casualties. Everybody hit the dirt!
Trained professionals like these guys, huh? So I guess when some jackass starts executing people in a shopping mall my best defense is to just let myself and family get killed because I'm too incompetent to handle a simple device under stress? How ever did so many veterans like myself function in an austere environment without killing everyone in sight? It seems like your confusing reality with TV again.
Guns don't just "go off," nor do they have a will of their own. Automobiles are difficult to master, easy to aim, inherently dangerous, and drivers have a nasty habit of getting drunk and crashing them into other cars, often killing the occupants - and cars aren't used to save nearly as many lives every day.Handguns are difficult to master, hard to aim, inherently inaccurate, and have a nasty habit of being stolen, borrowed by the kids, or simply going off at the wrong time.
Either don't buy one or please leave it at home. Speaking of home, I recommend a short-barrel 20-gauge pump-gun and a hot load of 00 buck. No aiming required; just point and click.
Just "point and click" is pretty absurd. I've got a short barrel 20 gauge and it is a fine home defense gun, but if you had the slightest clue about how they work you would know just how stupid you sound. See here for an illustrated test of shotgun penetration testing on drywall. And no, I won't leave my handgun at home and I plan on buying as many as my checkbook will allow, so with no due respect take your hot load of buck and stick it somewhere else.
Jeff Van Hartesveldt
King George
Here is the comment that I left on the letter:
"Point and click?" Have you ever fired a shotgun at close range? I already know the answer - NO! Within the 30' or less of a house your shotgun is making about a 1" pattern; hardly "point and click," not to mention that a shotgun will penetrate just as many walls as a handgun, if not more. My safety, as well as my family's are not subject to your "feeling safe," and maybe Hollywood has had a profound impact on your life, but the rest of us grownups live in the real world.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Movie Guns XI
Hello again, and welcome to Movie Guns XI. I usually post on Sundays, but I have the time right now, so here it is.
I went movie shopping the other day for a specific movie for this weeks post, but I found one instead that I haven't seen in years that definitely fit the bill. An excellent gun movie that features many different 1911's and Smith & Wesson revolvers, this weeks post is on the film Dead Presidents.
There are some awesome firefights to be seen, but as usual when I go frame by frame I find all kinds of things that I'm not supposed to. Some of the actors in the film show terrible gun handling skills, but there are some authentic things that lead me to believe that the directors (Albert and Allen Hughes) at least vaguely listened to their military advisor/armorer.
The first gun pictured in the film is at the beginning and has Kirby (Kieth David) taking a Stainless Steel Smith & Wesson (S&W) Model 36 from a store owners wife before he punches her in the face. He then fights with the store owner, who pulls off his prosthetic leg, where he then falls down next to the man and puts the little revolver in his face:
That man looks terrified. Kirby later lays the gun down on the seat of the getaway car where I got a couple of close ups:
Fromwhat I can see, the gun is not loaded. Next up, we are off to South East Asia.
The movie has three friends who join the Marine Corps and go to Vietnam. Anthony (Larenz Tate) and Skippy (Chris Tucker) are in a Force Recon unit that gets in big firefights while using a variety of different weapons.
The first fight shows Anthony blasting away with this Mossberg 590, which he double racks the slide at one point; ejecting a live shell:
Here is another cool shot of him racking the slide the right way:
Cleon (Bokeem Woodbine) is carrying a M3 "Grease gun" which he often fires from the hip with his eyes closed:
Here he is with the most awful chicken wing stance that I have ever seen:
Notice the M16A1 that Dugan (Jamez Woolvet) is firing. Several of these are shown in the hands of the Marines. It has the basic three-prong flash hider like the first M16, but you can see that it has a forward assist which was a feature of the M16A1. Here's a left side view of Dugan firing on semi:
The sling mount by the bayonet lug is duct taped to keep it from making noise which is common practice amongst Marines.
Next we have D'ambrosio (Michael Imperioli), who had been using one of the cross-breed M16A1's in the first firefight, now carrying a Russian PPSh-41 submachine gun:
This gun fires the little 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge and would probably be very useful in a small unit behind enemy lines.
In one firefight, they get in a tangle with a NVA unit that has a RPD machine gun:
Here is Dugan firing away in the jungle with a M1911, probably a Colt:
I have to point out that for a Force Recon unit, they sure don't act like one. There is plenty of coughing, talking, and shouting while on patrol, and at one point they are all cleaning weapons or eating, and not one of them has a functional weapon in their hand. Then there are the things that you can't see unless you slow the film down a bit, like when Cleon executes a tied up prisoner with a M1911, you can see that the slide is locked back when he puts it to the guys head and fires.
At this point, the movie moves back to New York where everyone is struggling to make a living. A mean pimp named Cutty (Clifton Powell) knocks Anthony down the stairs and pulls out a chromed 1911 oof unkown make and puts it in his face:
Notice the hammer is down, which is odd considering that he had just racked the slide to presumably chamber a round.
This is pretty much where it gets to be 1911 and S&W galore. Anthony, Kirby, Skippy, Jose (Freddy Rodriguez), and Delilah (N'Bushe Wright) are sitting at a table planning the heist of an armored car. Sitting on the table are several 1911's which I couldn't get a shot of, and this blued S&W Model 36:
What happens next is a big gunfight when the heist goes bad. Kirby starts blasting with a stainless 1911 at a random cop who wanders into the fray:
The cop takes a fighting stance and returns fire with what I believe to be a S&W Model 10:
The cop eventually takes cover behind a post office box like he's supposed to, but Skippy takes the cops life by shooting him in the back of the head with this stainless steel 1911, which somehow fired even though the hammer was clearly down:
Anthony convinces one of the cops to drop his sidearm with this cutoff, pistol gripped Remington Model 870:
The armored car guards are carrying S&W Model 10's like this one that was dropped:
The only thing odd about this gun is that the screws on the side do not match any of the S&W revolvers that I can find. I'm sure it's a Model 10, but if I'm wrong please let me know. Here is a picture of one holstered, and one on the loading dock which is stoked with lead round nose cartridges:
Jose is carrying this revolver which is the real mystery gun because I can't get a better picture of it:
Delilah pops out of a dumpster with a brace of 1911's and cuts down a guard:
When she gets killed, she hits the ground at slide lock:
I had to count and re-count the shots fired during this scene. Kirby fires 11 rounds from his 1911 without reload, and the cop fires back with 9 rounds from his revolver; of course without reload. Anthony racks the shotgun about 7 times and fires twice, and I couldn't tell how many rounds Delilah fired. I can say that she had her eyes closed the entire time that she was emptying those .45's - twice.
Overall, you can't tell these things while watching the movie, so don't think less of it. The shootouts are good-to-go, and the amount of cool hardware that they bring to the fight makes this an excellent gun movie.
Update: Commenter Ed Harris notes that the revolver that I labeled as S&W Model 10, is in fact a Colt Official Police. Great catch, and thank you for identifying it!
I went movie shopping the other day for a specific movie for this weeks post, but I found one instead that I haven't seen in years that definitely fit the bill. An excellent gun movie that features many different 1911's and Smith & Wesson revolvers, this weeks post is on the film Dead Presidents.
There are some awesome firefights to be seen, but as usual when I go frame by frame I find all kinds of things that I'm not supposed to. Some of the actors in the film show terrible gun handling skills, but there are some authentic things that lead me to believe that the directors (Albert and Allen Hughes) at least vaguely listened to their military advisor/armorer.
The first gun pictured in the film is at the beginning and has Kirby (Kieth David) taking a Stainless Steel Smith & Wesson (S&W) Model 36 from a store owners wife before he punches her in the face. He then fights with the store owner, who pulls off his prosthetic leg, where he then falls down next to the man and puts the little revolver in his face:
That man looks terrified. Kirby later lays the gun down on the seat of the getaway car where I got a couple of close ups:
Fromwhat I can see, the gun is not loaded. Next up, we are off to South East Asia.
The movie has three friends who join the Marine Corps and go to Vietnam. Anthony (Larenz Tate) and Skippy (Chris Tucker) are in a Force Recon unit that gets in big firefights while using a variety of different weapons.
The first fight shows Anthony blasting away with this Mossberg 590, which he double racks the slide at one point; ejecting a live shell:
Here is another cool shot of him racking the slide the right way:
Cleon (Bokeem Woodbine) is carrying a M3 "Grease gun" which he often fires from the hip with his eyes closed:
Here he is with the most awful chicken wing stance that I have ever seen:
Notice the M16A1 that Dugan (Jamez Woolvet) is firing. Several of these are shown in the hands of the Marines. It has the basic three-prong flash hider like the first M16, but you can see that it has a forward assist which was a feature of the M16A1. Here's a left side view of Dugan firing on semi:
The sling mount by the bayonet lug is duct taped to keep it from making noise which is common practice amongst Marines.
Next we have D'ambrosio (Michael Imperioli), who had been using one of the cross-breed M16A1's in the first firefight, now carrying a Russian PPSh-41 submachine gun:
This gun fires the little 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge and would probably be very useful in a small unit behind enemy lines.
In one firefight, they get in a tangle with a NVA unit that has a RPD machine gun:
Here is Dugan firing away in the jungle with a M1911, probably a Colt:
I have to point out that for a Force Recon unit, they sure don't act like one. There is plenty of coughing, talking, and shouting while on patrol, and at one point they are all cleaning weapons or eating, and not one of them has a functional weapon in their hand. Then there are the things that you can't see unless you slow the film down a bit, like when Cleon executes a tied up prisoner with a M1911, you can see that the slide is locked back when he puts it to the guys head and fires.
At this point, the movie moves back to New York where everyone is struggling to make a living. A mean pimp named Cutty (Clifton Powell) knocks Anthony down the stairs and pulls out a chromed 1911 oof unkown make and puts it in his face:
Notice the hammer is down, which is odd considering that he had just racked the slide to presumably chamber a round.
This is pretty much where it gets to be 1911 and S&W galore. Anthony, Kirby, Skippy, Jose (Freddy Rodriguez), and Delilah (N'Bushe Wright) are sitting at a table planning the heist of an armored car. Sitting on the table are several 1911's which I couldn't get a shot of, and this blued S&W Model 36:
What happens next is a big gunfight when the heist goes bad. Kirby starts blasting with a stainless 1911 at a random cop who wanders into the fray:
The cop takes a fighting stance and returns fire with what I believe to be a S&W Model 10:
The cop eventually takes cover behind a post office box like he's supposed to, but Skippy takes the cops life by shooting him in the back of the head with this stainless steel 1911, which somehow fired even though the hammer was clearly down:
Anthony convinces one of the cops to drop his sidearm with this cutoff, pistol gripped Remington Model 870:
The armored car guards are carrying S&W Model 10's like this one that was dropped:
The only thing odd about this gun is that the screws on the side do not match any of the S&W revolvers that I can find. I'm sure it's a Model 10, but if I'm wrong please let me know. Here is a picture of one holstered, and one on the loading dock which is stoked with lead round nose cartridges:
Jose is carrying this revolver which is the real mystery gun because I can't get a better picture of it:
Delilah pops out of a dumpster with a brace of 1911's and cuts down a guard:
When she gets killed, she hits the ground at slide lock:
I had to count and re-count the shots fired during this scene. Kirby fires 11 rounds from his 1911 without reload, and the cop fires back with 9 rounds from his revolver; of course without reload. Anthony racks the shotgun about 7 times and fires twice, and I couldn't tell how many rounds Delilah fired. I can say that she had her eyes closed the entire time that she was emptying those .45's - twice.
Overall, you can't tell these things while watching the movie, so don't think less of it. The shootouts are good-to-go, and the amount of cool hardware that they bring to the fight makes this an excellent gun movie.
Update: Commenter Ed Harris notes that the revolver that I labeled as S&W Model 10, is in fact a Colt Official Police. Great catch, and thank you for identifying it!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Licensing the Right intention
Via The Breda Fallacy - An Ohio man was stopped by cops for open carrying (OC) and recorded the whole thing. He says that the cops were very professional, with the exception of the sergeant who had this to say:
It says I can keep and bear them. Period.
"Licensing" or "permitting" me to exercise my right is as close to having it taken away as I can possibly stand. There is also this disconnect within the gun rights community as far as "I'm a gun owner too, but...," mantra, and it seems to be the the case with this cop as well:
Sergeant: "Your permit allows you to carry concealed. It’s not an invitation, it’s not a permit to carry with it exposed so you can go on your self-righteous tangent about educating people about the Second Amendment. I'm all for the Second Amendment, I’m a huge supporter, NRA card carrying member, all that good shit. I’m not talking down to you as a gun grabber or anti gun piece of shit. Bottom line is you did do something wrong. We can charge you with inducing panic or disorderly conduct. It’s not the intention of the law. It’s not the intention of the right you went and got the license for."This is yet another reason why I hate being "permitted" to carry my little pistol. I covered some of my reasons awhile ago. The Constitution doesn't protect my right to "keep and bear arms only in the possession of a valid state permit, and only concealed." It doesn't protect my right to carry "in the manner that some federal, state, or local law enforcement officer or elected official says it does."
It says I can keep and bear them. Period.
"Licensing" or "permitting" me to exercise my right is as close to having it taken away as I can possibly stand. There is also this disconnect within the gun rights community as far as "I'm a gun owner too, but...," mantra, and it seems to be the the case with this cop as well:
I can't see that we're gaining any ground as long as we're condoning the outright control of our rights with these little cards that say what someone else thinks they are.While Bryan is talking about the Second Amendment:
Sergeant:
"Shut up, don’t talk to me about that, I taught the goddamn class. It doesn’t allow you to walk around with it exposed."
Pretty cool find
I was looking into the saga of Nye County District Attorney Robert Beckett getting picked up for DUI after crashing his car twice, when I came across a good article from 2005 on tyranny by none other than Ron Paul. It's on page four on the right. Here's some of the meat from the article:
That's getting more true by the minute, and it doesn't look like there's any end in sight.
Washington DC provides a vivid illustration of what our future might look like. Visitors to Capitol Hill encounter police barricades, metal detectors, paramilitary officers carrying fully automatic rifles, police dogs, IDchecks, and vehicle stops. The people are totally disarmed; only the police and criminals have guns. Surveillance cameras are everywhere, monitoring street activity, subway travel, parks, and federal buildings. There's not much evidence of an open society in Washington, DC, yet most folks do not complain-- anything goes if it's for government-provided safety and security.
That's getting more true by the minute, and it doesn't look like there's any end in sight.
Government ignoring the problem
You mean to tell me that government would carry out secret tests against our troops, and then not take care of them? Who would have guessed that?
Actually, this has been done before, so it should shouldn't be a surprize.
Actually, this has been done before, so it should shouldn't be a surprize.
Guns don't cause suicide
Apparently hydrogen sulphide does.
People who intend to kill themselves know very well that a gunshot to the head or jumping off of a bridge is permanent, and that eating 30 Tylenol probably won't be. There will always be a means, so focusing on the method is pointless.
From January to May this year, close to 520 people committed suicide using hydrogen sulphide gas. There were only 30 cases involving the gas in the same period in 2007, the report showed.This is in Japan. It is interesting to note that Russia and Japan have the high suicide rates, and they're known as being almost completely disarmed. That doesn't seem to stop those who are bound and determined to end their lives:
Japan, which has the second-highest suicide rate in the Group of Eight nations after Russia according to the World Health Organisation, has also been trying to tackle the root of the problem.The "root of the problem" is not the method, but the mentality. The Brady Campaign likes to note that in the US, "30,000 people are killed annually by guns," which includes the 17,000+ who kill themselves with firearms, but they never concede to that. The mentality is that without a gun, people would be less likely to kill themselves. I disagree.
People who intend to kill themselves know very well that a gunshot to the head or jumping off of a bridge is permanent, and that eating 30 Tylenol probably won't be. There will always be a means, so focusing on the method is pointless.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Yikes!!
I normally refrain from posts that deal with political stuff, but Obama is saying shit that makes me think that this country is not long for this world if he were to be elected.
What, like this kind of international order? The US doesn't need that sort of order. Thanks though.
On top of that, he casts away people who have been helping the president prosecute a war because:
Now I know he is talking about how he would handily "bring Osama Bin-Laden to justice" (snicker; why didn't anyone think of this before?), but the fact is that this man, like Kerry, would gladly felate the UN in order to bring "international order" to the US.Obama said he wouldn't discuss what approach he would take to bring bin Laden to justice if he were apprehended. But he said the Nuremberg trials for the prosecution of Nazi leaders are an inspiration because the victors acted to advance universal principles and set a tone for the creation of an international order.
What, like this kind of international order? The US doesn't need that sort of order. Thanks though.
On top of that, he casts away people who have been helping the president prosecute a war because:
"I refuse to be lectured on national security by people who are responsible for the most disastrous set of foreign policy decisions in the recent history of the United States," Obama said in opening remarks that in part referred to the Iraq war.Awesome! So because your an elitist, you won't take any advise from those who have been there and done that, and have mistakes and lessons learned to show for it? Who, pray tell, does he get his advise from?
He stood in front of 17 American flags and a sign that said "Judgment to Lead." He was surrounded by national security experts who had formerly served in Congress and the Clinton administration and will be advising his campaign — an effort to bring foreign policy experience to a candidate who has served just three years in Congress.That Clinton's administration was filled with experienced experts is laughable. I'm not a fan of McCain either, but Obama can't really lecture a man who's not only served, fought, and bled in a war, but is actually trying to win it instead of forfeiting because he doesn't know what it's like to be shot at and still succeed.
Fireworks training, ATF style
Good thing I wasn't drinking coffee when I read this. Here's the skinny:
What's next on the ATF's list of things that they consider dangerous, and that only they are "authorized," "competent" or "trained" to do? Driving? Body boarding? Jumprope?
Please, save us from ourselves!
A live fireworks demonstration was put on Wednesday by the Council of Governments Fire Chief's Committee, the D.C. Fire and EMS Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The demonstration at the D.C. Fire and EMS Training Academy was intended to show citizens that fireworks should only be used by trained professionals.
What's next on the ATF's list of things that they consider dangerous, and that only they are "authorized," "competent" or "trained" to do? Driving? Body boarding? Jumprope?
Please, save us from ourselves!
Daily dose of DC stupidity
So there's like, all kinds of shootings and stuff in DC yesterday, which is of course impossible, but it still makes idiots cry for more gun control because when defenseless people are slaughtered, or gangbangers eradicate themselves, it's the guns fault:
Notice that despite the cops quick response time, they arrived after the bloodshed.
.Yeah, if you just get those guns off the street then everybody will be peaceful because no one can get hurt! Perfect Plan! Why didn't anyone think of this sooner!Both of the people arrested had guns, officials said.
D.C. Council member Marion Barry said officials will have to step up their efforts to get guns off the streets
Notice that despite the cops quick response time, they arrived after the bloodshed.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
I'm on a fishing expedition
And by fishing I mean that I'm fishing for a location, specifically a pond, to go fishing. All of my local haunts have dried up (literally) because of the sprawling, urban sea of vinyl siding that is quickly taking over my once country home town.
Damn developers....and...well, beavers too. They got one of the ponds where I spent much of my youth.
When I was a wee lad, I had plenty of time and locations to fish. My friends and I would wander about looking for new and exciting places to hunt or fish, and when we found something we were interested in, we would ask for permission from the landowner so we didn't get an ass full of rock salt. Sometimes helping out with chores or what-not would be enough for a year or two of angling goodness. Sometimes it was a simple as promising a local farmer the complete extermination of every groundhog within a country mile of his or her property. Twist my arm, right? I don't know any farmers who haven't sold out to the developers nowadays, and making a promise to kill critters on someone's land in this day and age will not make you any friends.
So why ponds?
There is great fishing to be had on several lakes and rivers in the area, but you really need a bass boat for the lakes, and the river requires more than the couple of hours which is all I have. To tell you the truth, I'm a pier-rat at heart because I love the ocean, and the chance of hooking into something huge is almost inevitable, but I don't get around to going to the beach but once every couple of years. Who's got the time? I would love to retire on the ocean somewhere on the east coast just so I can park my ass on a folding chair on the pier and fish for sharks until my skin blisters off. I'm the guy who is walking up onto the pier at 6 am when it opens, frightfully drunk, with a two-day-old Spanish mackerel head on a 5/0 hook, insisting that I'm fishing for croaker. I stay until I'm told to leave by the pier staff, and then I start it all over in the morning.
But I can't do that very often, so I hit the local ponds to satisfy my urge to snag a poor fish with a sharp piece of metal. I have now learned that technology is my friend, and that the average Joe can now access up-to-date satellite imagery to scan miles and miles of land, and then use interactive, geographic boundary programs to find out who owns the property. All from the safety of your home! Now all I have to do is drive around and check out all of the water that I have printed out directions for. Piece of cake!
I don't have the time to carry a canoe or drag a john boat down to the waters edge, but one day I hope to again have the time. For now I will just have to be satisfied cast a line in small ponds while on foot and remind myself that that is how I started!
Damn developers....and...well, beavers too. They got one of the ponds where I spent much of my youth.
When I was a wee lad, I had plenty of time and locations to fish. My friends and I would wander about looking for new and exciting places to hunt or fish, and when we found something we were interested in, we would ask for permission from the landowner so we didn't get an ass full of rock salt. Sometimes helping out with chores or what-not would be enough for a year or two of angling goodness. Sometimes it was a simple as promising a local farmer the complete extermination of every groundhog within a country mile of his or her property. Twist my arm, right? I don't know any farmers who haven't sold out to the developers nowadays, and making a promise to kill critters on someone's land in this day and age will not make you any friends.
So why ponds?
There is great fishing to be had on several lakes and rivers in the area, but you really need a bass boat for the lakes, and the river requires more than the couple of hours which is all I have. To tell you the truth, I'm a pier-rat at heart because I love the ocean, and the chance of hooking into something huge is almost inevitable, but I don't get around to going to the beach but once every couple of years. Who's got the time? I would love to retire on the ocean somewhere on the east coast just so I can park my ass on a folding chair on the pier and fish for sharks until my skin blisters off. I'm the guy who is walking up onto the pier at 6 am when it opens, frightfully drunk, with a two-day-old Spanish mackerel head on a 5/0 hook, insisting that I'm fishing for croaker. I stay until I'm told to leave by the pier staff, and then I start it all over in the morning.
But I can't do that very often, so I hit the local ponds to satisfy my urge to snag a poor fish with a sharp piece of metal. I have now learned that technology is my friend, and that the average Joe can now access up-to-date satellite imagery to scan miles and miles of land, and then use interactive, geographic boundary programs to find out who owns the property. All from the safety of your home! Now all I have to do is drive around and check out all of the water that I have printed out directions for. Piece of cake!
I don't have the time to carry a canoe or drag a john boat down to the waters edge, but one day I hope to again have the time. For now I will just have to be satisfied cast a line in small ponds while on foot and remind myself that that is how I started!
My state taxes at work
Not to be cold hearted or anything, but it is not the responsibility of Virginians to pay for a gunman's actions. Here's where the disconnect lies:
What of the universities response before the shootings?
Some families and others have complained about the university's response after the dorm shootings.
What of the universities response before the shootings?
What we need is grenade control
To stop stuff like this:
Well duh! It's Fort Knox!
Sarcasm people.
Sources told News4 that two to three stacks of hand grenades and 50-caliber ammunition was found in a locker at Fort Knox Self Storage in the 15400 block of Depot Lane.
Well duh! It's Fort Knox!
Sarcasm people.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
South Carolina reciprocity!!
It's about time! From the VCDL, which you should be signed up for their outstanding alert system regardless of your state of residence, comes this message (It was emailed to me and has not hit their website yet):
Good stuff!!
The Governor of South Carolina has just signed a bill that will open up reciprocity to any state that honors South Carolina!
The law becomes effective IMMEDIATELY and is now in force.
Virginia ALREADY honors South Carolina, so formal reciprocity should be a slam-dunk!!!
HOWEVER, it is not in affect yet. So **DO NOT carry concealed** in South Carolina until I put the word out (Virginia and South Carolina have to sign a reciprocity agreement first).
I have left a voice message with Tom Lambert who does reciprocity work for the Virginia State Police. Hopefully the State Police will jump on this quickly.
As soon as we can begin carrying, there will be an alert going out to let you know.
Many thanks to Jim Mullins, my counterpart in the West Virginia Citizens Defense League (wvcdl.org), for staying on top of this and letting me know the new law was coming.
And of course, a big thanks to the gun organizations in South Carolina for continuing to fight for this law tirelessly over the years!
--
VCDL is getting some new hardware and software. The VCDL site will be down for a while tonight and the VA-ALERT list server will down for a while, too.
Good stuff!!
Cops intimidated by python
No, not that one......this one. Apparently the man was arrested because he told the snake to attack the police. That's not a joke:
This guy may have been an asshole, or maybe he was kidding around with his girlfriend. Maybe he's a real life scumbag, or maybe he's a great guy. Either way, to arrest him for "ordering" a snake to attack is just childish, and the cops need to have their mental capacity checked by a professional.
When the building superintendent opened the apartment door for the officers, Rodriguez allegedly told the snake, "Get them!", according to Viadero.
Rodriguez and his pet were both taken away: Rodriguez to jail on a $10,000 bond, and the albino python to the city's animal control shelter.
This guy may have been an asshole, or maybe he was kidding around with his girlfriend. Maybe he's a real life scumbag, or maybe he's a great guy. Either way, to arrest him for "ordering" a snake to attack is just childish, and the cops need to have their mental capacity checked by a professional.
I'm not original
Friendly Fred has pointed out in Movie Guns X comments that Madogre has a "The Guns of :" movie section, which I just checked out. Honestly, I had no idea that Madogre existed, or that he had a section highlighting the various guns that are used in movies until Friendly Fred pointed it out. His section gives great detail to the shootouts and weapons used, and he has covered many of the same movies that I have. Great minds think alike.
My Movie Guns posts started out because I was goofing off with capturing frames from movies that featured 1911's, and it kinda turned into a weekly thing which I will keep up. The first movie that I covered was the movie WAR with Jet Li and Jason Statham. In that post I was actually mocking the movie for inaccuracies, and I went back later and made it the first of the movie guns section.
I like pictures so I try to capture some of the gunplay and give a brief overview in order to fully understand the scene. Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with firearms from western movies, or cap-and-ball/muzzleloading firearms for that matter, but I will get educated shortly because I would like to feature some films with these types of weapons. There are awesome firefights in older movies and I want to find them.
So I guess I'm not very original, and I don't want to take away anything from Madogre, but I will try to offer something different in my posts. If you have any requests, let me know and I will try to accommodate.
My Movie Guns posts started out because I was goofing off with capturing frames from movies that featured 1911's, and it kinda turned into a weekly thing which I will keep up. The first movie that I covered was the movie WAR with Jet Li and Jason Statham. In that post I was actually mocking the movie for inaccuracies, and I went back later and made it the first of the movie guns section.
I like pictures so I try to capture some of the gunplay and give a brief overview in order to fully understand the scene. Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with firearms from western movies, or cap-and-ball/muzzleloading firearms for that matter, but I will get educated shortly because I would like to feature some films with these types of weapons. There are awesome firefights in older movies and I want to find them.
So I guess I'm not very original, and I don't want to take away anything from Madogre, but I will try to offer something different in my posts. If you have any requests, let me know and I will try to accommodate.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Thanks Fella's
Who could have possibly forseen this happening?
Who would have thought that paroling a violent felon back into society would lead to this?
That's just crazy! Maybe they should pass some reeeeeeaaaaally strict gunlaws so he couldn't ever get ahold of a gun, because that sort of thinking would stop guys like that in his tracks:
That's just crazy! Maybe they should pass some reeeeeeaaaaally strict gunlaws so he couldn't ever get ahold of a gun, because that sort of thinking would stop guys like that in his tracks:
Prieto said Topete had ties to gangs and served 12 years in prison for shooting another person.
"He is not a stranger to violence," Prieto said of Topete.
Six Flags not so safe?
How could anyone get stabbed at a park as safe as Six Flags? I mean, they have policy in place and everything; see, it says no knives:
I'm terrified of the spiked jewelry, and the magic markers just make sense because you never know when some kid may get the urge to see if it smells good or not. You just can't be too safe these days.
Being defenseless is great!
PROHIBITED ITEMS
In addition to all items previously mentioned, the following items are not permitted at Six Flags America, at any time:
Lawn chairs and folding chairs
Magic markers, spray paint and aerosol cans
Glass bottles
Knives
Spiked clothing or jewelry
Fireworks and explosives
Firearms and ammunition
Chemical weapons, including mace and pepper spray
I'm terrified of the spiked jewelry, and the magic markers just make sense because you never know when some kid may get the urge to see if it smells good or not. You just can't be too safe these days.
Being defenseless is great!
Lots of shooting in DC last week.
Somehow I missed this last week, but it would seem that the Metro police blockades did absolutely nothing at all towards stopping violence, but it did manage to piss off the country. Great work.
To reflect on this recent insanity, let's have a recap:
In "Gun Free" DC, there are 9 shootings in one weekend.
Chief Lanier decides that an unconstitutional neighborhood blockade will stop the killing.
10 people are shot throughout the following week.
So what was accomplished? To me it looks like a bunch of bureucratic posturing, with no real idea of how to actually stop crime. Here's your dose of stupid for today:
This idiot thinks that criminals sit around frustrated because they are unsure of how to sell heroine on Capitol Heights Blvd. without angering rival gangs! Gangbangers are killing everything in sight because they believe they have a superior sense of conflict resolution. The real problem is that peaceable DC residents lack a method of conflict resolution that matches the criminal element's.
How about a double dose of stupid:
Really? Well that settles it then. Chief Lanier should send all of the cops home, and everyone else should go outside at night and enjoy the cool breeze while petting puppies and singing hymns. Jackass!
The police sure as hell can't protect the citizen. That much is proven. Maybe DC law enforcement should stick with dance enforcement instead.
To reflect on this recent insanity, let's have a recap:
In "Gun Free" DC, there are 9 shootings in one weekend.
Chief Lanier decides that an unconstitutional neighborhood blockade will stop the killing.
10 people are shot throughout the following week.
So what was accomplished? To me it looks like a bunch of bureucratic posturing, with no real idea of how to actually stop crime. Here's your dose of stupid for today:
Tommy Thomas, who represents Ward 5 on the D.C. Council, said the checkpoints are only a start.
"Communities have a lot of issues that we're not dealing with in a holistic approach," he said. "I think a lot of our communities are resorting to violence because there's just a sense of frustration, a sense of lack of conflict resolution."
This idiot thinks that criminals sit around frustrated because they are unsure of how to sell heroine on Capitol Heights Blvd. without angering rival gangs! Gangbangers are killing everything in sight because they believe they have a superior sense of conflict resolution. The real problem is that peaceable DC residents lack a method of conflict resolution that matches the criminal element's.
How about a double dose of stupid:
"We're out there every Saturday, and it's pretty blatant," said the Rev. Carlos Williams. "There's no regard for police or fear. There is no fear in that neighborhood whatsoever."
Really? Well that settles it then. Chief Lanier should send all of the cops home, and everyone else should go outside at night and enjoy the cool breeze while petting puppies and singing hymns. Jackass!
The police sure as hell can't protect the citizen. That much is proven. Maybe DC law enforcement should stick with dance enforcement instead.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Movie Guns X
Better late than never, right? And happy Father's Day! I know that I missed last weeks movie guns post, and for that I am deeply sorry. This week I decided to ramp it up with over 30 - some pictures in order to make it up to you.
So what movie is in the works for this week? None other than:
This title page from the Michael Mann film Heat shows a BG with a Colt M4A3 firing on auto. Michael Mann is a stickler for firearm accuracy, and this movie is no exception. Featuring oodles of gun porn that a gun geek can only dream of, Heat contains one of the most exciting shootouts in movie history.
The pictures in this post will roughly follow in the order that they appear in the film. I was certain that I knew the make and model of every gun in the movie, but I did some research with a few of them and changed my mind. Let's start with this frame of a FN FAL Para held by Michael Cheritto (Tom Sizemore) during the beginning heist of an armored car:
On his vest is a Ruger P90 and multiple spare magazines, which if you look closely you can see that they are empty:
Trejo (Danny Trejo) runs a spike strip across the road while carrying a Chinese Type 56 rifle with underfolding stock:
Waingro (Kevin Gage) has a blued Star Megastar, in what looks like .45 ACP, which he uses to kill an armored car guard:
I'd love to have one of those in 10mm.
Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) has a Colt M4A1 which he uses to gun down another guard when he draws a revolver from an ankle holster:
I couldn't get a pic of the revolver, nor could I get a good shot of the Colt Commando that McCauley (Robert DeNiro) has during the robbery. Some of them are wearing body armor with hard plates, and all of the rifles are slung with bungee cords that are configured like a large number eight. They put an arm through each loop on the eight, and there is another bungee cord that runs down from this and attaches to the rifle with a snap hook. There are better slings these days, but those look like they worked just fine considering they used them later on during another robbery.
The second gunfight happens during a money drop. Two bad guys try to take out the main cast of bad guys (McCauley, Cheritto, and Chris) by staging a phony money drop which goes bad. One of the bad guys has a Steyr TMP:
But he gets shot by Chris with a Heckler & Koch G3 who does a needless judo roll from his position on a roof:
And then he is finished off by McCauley who is firing a H&K USP through the windshield of the car:
The bad guy in the truck is also shot by Chris, but Cheritto finishes him off with some judicious use of a Benelli M3 Super 90:
These scenes are just teasers. The main event is the legendary shootout during a bank robbery in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. This is the same scene that was allegedly viewed by the scumbags in the North Hollywood shootout before they went on their shooting spree, only nobody told them that a shootout like this is fiction.
We start inside the bank with a shot of McCauley's vest holding eight magazines and a Sig P220, and Chris in the light suit with his finger on the trigger and the selector on semi. Looking closely at another frame shows McCauley has his selector on auto with his finger firmly on the trigger. Safety violator.
Of note is that they flex-cuff one of the guards but leave his pistol in his holster. Very strange.
Cheritto carries a IMI Galil with a folding stock:
Outside of the bank, and seconds before he ignites the firefight, Chris shows the level of training and realism that is injected into Michael Mann's gunfight scenes with this frame showing proper sight alignment and sight picture:
Here he is missing the cops at about thirty feet distance with automatic rifle fire from a Colt Commando:
Later he does an excellent reload with the Colt, and unleashes some suppressing fire:
McCauley is also firing a Colt Commando as can be seen here with him shooting through the windshield again. In the really real world all of the passengers would be very deaf from the report of three rifles going off within the confines of the car:
Here he is laying down suppressing fire:
Unfortunately, there are no shots of Cheritto shooting it out with the Galil, but the cops answer back with some firepower of their own, like this frame of two cops carrying an M16A1 and a Mossberg 500:
Before the firefight, the cop with the shotgun racks a shell into the chamber one-handed (not likely unless he had just fired the gun which unlocks the slide), in front of a crowd of people, with his finger on the trigger, and only about 50 feet from the BG's. Bad tactics.
Detective Hanna ( Al Pacino) is shooting back with a FN FNC:
In the last frame, he takes cover behind a car while he reloads, but when he goes to chamber a round he ejects a live cartridge. You can see it as the goldish line just off of his chin. In one scene in first person view, Hanna is firing the rifle at nothing. Ooops. But he did have some good advice for the other cops before the shootout when he says "get clean shots...watch your background."
There is, of course, the token Berretta 92F which is in pretty much every movie ever made:
And I have no idea what would make the holes in this police car besides steel rounds from a 30mm auto-cannon. Obviously, the 5.56mm NATO is the round that is fired in all of the BG's rifles, but there is no way they would make holes like this. Ted Kennedy would have a fit
Later, Hanna and another detective are in an elevator getting ready to raid an apartment. Hanna has a Colt Officers model that he pulls out for a brass check:
I have heard that this method of checking to see if there is a live round in the chamber was popular back in the day, but where I come from anything that is not the actual finger that you manipulate the trigger with is a foreign object; to include your thumb. Recently a Federal Flight Deck Officer showed the US government why their requirement for putting foreign objects in trigger guards is a bad idea.
Anyways, the other detective loads some peculiar blue, low-brass slugs into the Mossberg 500 that he is using, and then does another dramatic racking of the slide in the hallway of the apartment complex mere feet from the door they're about to breach. You can clearly hear that the gun is empty:
Later on, McCauley goes back to kill Waingro for tipping the cops off about the bank heist. He realises that the cops are in the hotel because he sees this Ithaca 37 shorty behind the desk, which I had originally thought was a Remington 870:
McCauley does the dangerous brass check with a Sig P220 while in the elevator on his way up to Waingro:
Before this scene, he uses the Sig to kill a money laundering investor by shooting him three times, at which point the slide is locked back, but when the camera pans back to McCauley, the slide is in battery.
Waingro is armed with another Star Megastar; this one in stainless steel. Notice the finger on trigger, safety off, and hammer back. Rule number three!
Towards the end, I caught this frame of a SWAT officer with an unknown make 1911 in a thigh holster; probably a Kimber. Next to him are two fellow SWAT officers with H&K MP5's:
The last picture I have is from the title screne again. This is a Colt M4A3 ejecting real fired brass and not blanks like during the film:
All of the Colts used in the movie had the A1 sights, but this picure clearly shows the A3 detachable carry handle.
If you haven't treated yourself to the movie Heat, you need to. It's pretty long, but it has a great cast and lots of action. Not to mention a great story line. The gun handling is good, despite the chicken wing stance of Val Kilmer or fingers in triggers, and you can tell that someone addressed it because they will have their finger straight in other scenes. Al Pacino uses a good stance and grip, and he keeps the gun locked in front of his view as he is scanning for the threat at the end.
Well, I hope I delivered on making up for a week of no movie guns. Enjoy!
Update: As noted in comments, the Mossberg shotgun is actually a Model 590, which is identified by the deadly "barrel shroud" that makes NY Senator McCarthy stink in her slacks. Good eye. I don't know how I missed that one.
Update: My readership has reminded to that I have some errors on this page, and that for correctness sake I should fix them. Sorry it took so long.
First up, the picture of the title screen shows what I now believe to be a Colt Commando Model 933. I had originally labeled it a Colt M4A3 due to the A3 carrying handle. The weapon is a flat top full auto sporting a 11 1/2" barrel sans bayonet lug, and includes the case deflector that dings up perfectly good brass, as well as a forward assist.
Contrary to popular belief, this was the last picture I copied from the movie, not the first, and I almost didn't include it because I didn't even notice it until I was just about done loading the pictures to Photobucket. It was more of an after thought. Further, I didn't assume every AR pattern rifle was the same as this one; indeed, I noted at the bottom that it was peculiar that this rifle was pictured on the title page with the A3 carrying handle, while all the others in the body of the film had an A1.
Next, the AR rifles used during the armored car heist are not Colt M4A1's like I originally thought. They have all of the makings of the Colt Model 654, except for the 16" barrel, which would make it a civilian model, or a franken gun. I suspect the latter. Wikipedia has it fitting the R6003 model. Who knows.
I concur with Professional Adventurer in that the H&K rifle that Chris uses to shoot at the truck is a G3, which is the basis of the series of those particular rifles, but I have to give a hat tip to GM45 in that the rifle is a semi-auto type, which would make it a HK91A2 Model. Good eye.
GM45 has noted that the handguards on the M16A1 are of the A2 variety, and that the lower receiver is actually a civilian type AR-15/SP1. That would make this a franken gun, and from what I gather from some of the posts on IMFDB, of which GM45 is a heavy contributor, many of the AR type rifles on film are pieced together from many different parts.
Last, I again concur with GM45; the model rifle that Chris and McCauley use during the bank shootout are Colt Model 733s. I had them ID'd as Colt Commandos, which they are, but that is the series and not the model. Sometimes I take the short route, and I'm glad I am held to a higher standard by my readers. I thank you for that.
I will be updating more of the Movie Guns posts, as I can.
So what movie is in the works for this week? None other than:
This title page from the Michael Mann film Heat shows a BG with a Colt M4A3 firing on auto. Michael Mann is a stickler for firearm accuracy, and this movie is no exception. Featuring oodles of gun porn that a gun geek can only dream of, Heat contains one of the most exciting shootouts in movie history.
The pictures in this post will roughly follow in the order that they appear in the film. I was certain that I knew the make and model of every gun in the movie, but I did some research with a few of them and changed my mind. Let's start with this frame of a FN FAL Para held by Michael Cheritto (Tom Sizemore) during the beginning heist of an armored car:
On his vest is a Ruger P90 and multiple spare magazines, which if you look closely you can see that they are empty:
Trejo (Danny Trejo) runs a spike strip across the road while carrying a Chinese Type 56 rifle with underfolding stock:
Waingro (Kevin Gage) has a blued Star Megastar, in what looks like .45 ACP, which he uses to kill an armored car guard:
I'd love to have one of those in 10mm.
Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) has a Colt M4A1 which he uses to gun down another guard when he draws a revolver from an ankle holster:
I couldn't get a pic of the revolver, nor could I get a good shot of the Colt Commando that McCauley (Robert DeNiro) has during the robbery. Some of them are wearing body armor with hard plates, and all of the rifles are slung with bungee cords that are configured like a large number eight. They put an arm through each loop on the eight, and there is another bungee cord that runs down from this and attaches to the rifle with a snap hook. There are better slings these days, but those look like they worked just fine considering they used them later on during another robbery.
The second gunfight happens during a money drop. Two bad guys try to take out the main cast of bad guys (McCauley, Cheritto, and Chris) by staging a phony money drop which goes bad. One of the bad guys has a Steyr TMP:
But he gets shot by Chris with a Heckler & Koch G3 who does a needless judo roll from his position on a roof:
And then he is finished off by McCauley who is firing a H&K USP through the windshield of the car:
The bad guy in the truck is also shot by Chris, but Cheritto finishes him off with some judicious use of a Benelli M3 Super 90:
These scenes are just teasers. The main event is the legendary shootout during a bank robbery in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. This is the same scene that was allegedly viewed by the scumbags in the North Hollywood shootout before they went on their shooting spree, only nobody told them that a shootout like this is fiction.
We start inside the bank with a shot of McCauley's vest holding eight magazines and a Sig P220, and Chris in the light suit with his finger on the trigger and the selector on semi. Looking closely at another frame shows McCauley has his selector on auto with his finger firmly on the trigger. Safety violator.
Of note is that they flex-cuff one of the guards but leave his pistol in his holster. Very strange.
Cheritto carries a IMI Galil with a folding stock:
Outside of the bank, and seconds before he ignites the firefight, Chris shows the level of training and realism that is injected into Michael Mann's gunfight scenes with this frame showing proper sight alignment and sight picture:
Here he is missing the cops at about thirty feet distance with automatic rifle fire from a Colt Commando:
Later he does an excellent reload with the Colt, and unleashes some suppressing fire:
McCauley is also firing a Colt Commando as can be seen here with him shooting through the windshield again. In the really real world all of the passengers would be very deaf from the report of three rifles going off within the confines of the car:
Here he is laying down suppressing fire:
Unfortunately, there are no shots of Cheritto shooting it out with the Galil, but the cops answer back with some firepower of their own, like this frame of two cops carrying an M16A1 and a Mossberg 500:
Before the firefight, the cop with the shotgun racks a shell into the chamber one-handed (not likely unless he had just fired the gun which unlocks the slide), in front of a crowd of people, with his finger on the trigger, and only about 50 feet from the BG's. Bad tactics.
Detective Hanna ( Al Pacino) is shooting back with a FN FNC:
In the last frame, he takes cover behind a car while he reloads, but when he goes to chamber a round he ejects a live cartridge. You can see it as the goldish line just off of his chin. In one scene in first person view, Hanna is firing the rifle at nothing. Ooops. But he did have some good advice for the other cops before the shootout when he says "get clean shots...watch your background."
There is, of course, the token Berretta 92F which is in pretty much every movie ever made:
And I have no idea what would make the holes in this police car besides steel rounds from a 30mm auto-cannon. Obviously, the 5.56mm NATO is the round that is fired in all of the BG's rifles, but there is no way they would make holes like this. Ted Kennedy would have a fit
Later, Hanna and another detective are in an elevator getting ready to raid an apartment. Hanna has a Colt Officers model that he pulls out for a brass check:
I have heard that this method of checking to see if there is a live round in the chamber was popular back in the day, but where I come from anything that is not the actual finger that you manipulate the trigger with is a foreign object; to include your thumb. Recently a Federal Flight Deck Officer showed the US government why their requirement for putting foreign objects in trigger guards is a bad idea.
Anyways, the other detective loads some peculiar blue, low-brass slugs into the Mossberg 500 that he is using, and then does another dramatic racking of the slide in the hallway of the apartment complex mere feet from the door they're about to breach. You can clearly hear that the gun is empty:
Later on, McCauley goes back to kill Waingro for tipping the cops off about the bank heist. He realises that the cops are in the hotel because he sees this Ithaca 37 shorty behind the desk, which I had originally thought was a Remington 870:
McCauley does the dangerous brass check with a Sig P220 while in the elevator on his way up to Waingro:
Before this scene, he uses the Sig to kill a money laundering investor by shooting him three times, at which point the slide is locked back, but when the camera pans back to McCauley, the slide is in battery.
Waingro is armed with another Star Megastar; this one in stainless steel. Notice the finger on trigger, safety off, and hammer back. Rule number three!
Towards the end, I caught this frame of a SWAT officer with an unknown make 1911 in a thigh holster; probably a Kimber. Next to him are two fellow SWAT officers with H&K MP5's:
The last picture I have is from the title screne again. This is a Colt M4A3 ejecting real fired brass and not blanks like during the film:
All of the Colts used in the movie had the A1 sights, but this picure clearly shows the A3 detachable carry handle.
If you haven't treated yourself to the movie Heat, you need to. It's pretty long, but it has a great cast and lots of action. Not to mention a great story line. The gun handling is good, despite the chicken wing stance of Val Kilmer or fingers in triggers, and you can tell that someone addressed it because they will have their finger straight in other scenes. Al Pacino uses a good stance and grip, and he keeps the gun locked in front of his view as he is scanning for the threat at the end.
Well, I hope I delivered on making up for a week of no movie guns. Enjoy!
Update: As noted in comments, the Mossberg shotgun is actually a Model 590, which is identified by the deadly "barrel shroud" that makes NY Senator McCarthy stink in her slacks. Good eye. I don't know how I missed that one.
Update: My readership has reminded to that I have some errors on this page, and that for correctness sake I should fix them. Sorry it took so long.
First up, the picture of the title screen shows what I now believe to be a Colt Commando Model 933. I had originally labeled it a Colt M4A3 due to the A3 carrying handle. The weapon is a flat top full auto sporting a 11 1/2" barrel sans bayonet lug, and includes the case deflector that dings up perfectly good brass, as well as a forward assist.
Contrary to popular belief, this was the last picture I copied from the movie, not the first, and I almost didn't include it because I didn't even notice it until I was just about done loading the pictures to Photobucket. It was more of an after thought. Further, I didn't assume every AR pattern rifle was the same as this one; indeed, I noted at the bottom that it was peculiar that this rifle was pictured on the title page with the A3 carrying handle, while all the others in the body of the film had an A1.
Next, the AR rifles used during the armored car heist are not Colt M4A1's like I originally thought. They have all of the makings of the Colt Model 654, except for the 16" barrel, which would make it a civilian model, or a franken gun. I suspect the latter. Wikipedia has it fitting the R6003 model. Who knows.
I concur with Professional Adventurer in that the H&K rifle that Chris uses to shoot at the truck is a G3, which is the basis of the series of those particular rifles, but I have to give a hat tip to GM45 in that the rifle is a semi-auto type, which would make it a HK91A2 Model. Good eye.
GM45 has noted that the handguards on the M16A1 are of the A2 variety, and that the lower receiver is actually a civilian type AR-15/SP1. That would make this a franken gun, and from what I gather from some of the posts on IMFDB, of which GM45 is a heavy contributor, many of the AR type rifles on film are pieced together from many different parts.
Last, I again concur with GM45; the model rifle that Chris and McCauley use during the bank shootout are Colt Model 733s. I had them ID'd as Colt Commandos, which they are, but that is the series and not the model. Sometimes I take the short route, and I'm glad I am held to a higher standard by my readers. I thank you for that.
I will be updating more of the Movie Guns posts, as I can.
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