gandalf23

reading the new tom Clancy book, got to this section:

“He stood near the van’s hood and tapped on his iPhone to bring up the Airline Identifier application that he’d downloaded from iTunes for $4.99. He pointed it at the plane flying just overhead, one that had taken off before their target, and the application correctly identified the airline, the flight number, the speed, the destination, the distance from Samad, and more. While the software wasn’t always accurate, and while Samad felt certain that the next flight coming would be theirs, he’d instructed all the other teams to be doubly sure that they had the correct flight. Rahmani had been very specific about that, because at the designated time, a sleeper agent aboard each plane—a man who was going to martyr himself—would read a statement to the passengers. These men didn’t need to hide explosive liquids inside travel-sized containers while trying to comply with the 3-1-1 rule for liquids. They could board the plane completely naked and still deliver their message. The Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was powerless to stop them while they had Allah’s will on their side. Moreover, the sleepers would instruct passengers to turn their camera-equipped cell phones back on and record what happened. That video would be released to the American public, either through e-mail, streamed directly to the Web, or after being recovered from the wreckage.”

Really hits home the ridiculousness of the security at airports.

Some folks have asked why S&P downgraded. This makes it very easy to see…

• U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
• Federal budget: $3,820,000,000,000
• New debt: $1,650,000,000,000
• National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
• Recent budget cut: $38,500,000,000

Let’s remove 8 zeros and pretend it’s a household budget:

• Annual family income: $21,700
• Money the family spent: $38,200
• New debt on the credit card: $16,500
• Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
• Total budget cuts: $385

NPR did a list of the top 100 sci-fi and fantasy books, and here in bold are the ones I have read.

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien

2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

3. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin

6. 1984, by George Orwell

7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury - I own a copy and remember starting it, but I am not sure if I ever finished it

8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov

9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan

13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell

14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson

15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore

16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov

17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein

18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss

19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick

22. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King

24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke -saw the movies, not read the books

25. The Stand, by Stephen King

26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

28. Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut

29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman

30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein

32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams - saw the cartoon, have not read the book

33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey

34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein

35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller

36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne

38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys

39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells

40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny

41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings

42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson

44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven

45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin

46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien .

47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White

48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman

49. Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke

50. Contact, by Carl Sagan

51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons -

52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson

54. World War Z, by Max Brooks

55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle

56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman

57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett

58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson -

59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold -

60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett

61. The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind

63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy -

64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke - started it a few times, never got through it

65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson - saw the movie version with Chuck Heston

66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist

67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks

68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard

69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb

70. The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne

73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore -read one or two of them, but not all

74. Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi

75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson

76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke

77. The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey

78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin

79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury

80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson

82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks -

84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart

85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson

86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher

87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe

88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn

89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan

90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock - read the first few

91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley

93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge

94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov

95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson -

96. Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville

99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony

100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

Bought a couple of surplus pouches not too long ago, they arrived today. Looked brand new. I opened one up and it had about 2 bucks in change, a folded American flag, a total of $0.80 in gift certificates to the AAFES, and a homemade rosary made out of parachute cord. Kinda interesting. The change I’ll spend, I’ll give the gift certificates to my uncle since he uses the base exchange, and I’ll set the flag and rosary aside in my cabinet of curiosities (which is not yet a cabinet, but a box, but someday it will be).

I have not tried this yet as I don’t think any of my scopes are duplex, but I’ll check soon. And even if they are not, I can probably figure something out, at least figure out the width of the reticle and such.

PRAXIS: USING A DUPLEX RETICLE AS A RANGEFINDER:

“How to use your rifle scope as a rangefinder.
Many American households have a scoped deer rifle in them. Common calibers are .30-06, .308, .270, .243, and a variety of sporterized military surplus rifles from around the world. All of these rifles are capable as being used for “designated marksman” functions. Let us assume that the excrement has hit the rotary oscillator, and you are now in some sort of leadership role of a rag-tag group of people. You find that you have a few SKS and Kalashnikov variants, an AR-15 or two, and several scoped deer rifles. What to do from here.
You AK/SKSs are going to function as your close-quarter and small range battle rifles. With the sights that both of these types of rifles have stock, you will probably be using them inside 150 yards. Your ARs (if A2 sights) should have a battle sight zero of 300 yards. You scoped deer rifles will operate between 300-500 yards.
Although your ARs are good for this range too, your shooters might not be. (Have you gone to one of those marksmanship clinics yet?) Most scoped deer rifles will have a duplex reticle, meaning one which is thick on the outside, and becomes a thin line towards the intersection of the crosshairs. And this reticle will become your rangefinder, but if you have another reticle, the process is the same, if the specifics different.
First, we need to go over something that is unfortunately like math. When we talk about a group of shots, you can tell someone you shot a 2 inch group, but unless they know the distance, it’s a meaningless statement. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll be using meters and yards as almost interchangeable. I know they’re not, but this system uses both, please just roll with it.
For accuracy, 2 inches at 25 yards is nothing to write home about, but, 2 inches at 100 is better than we need at this stage of the game. To clear this up, there is a system called Minutes of Angle, or arcminutes. A minute of angle (MOA) is 1/60 of 1 degree of a circle, which you’ll remember has 360. This works out to about 1 inch per 100 yards of distance. This allows us to discuss accuracy regardless of distances involved, since MOA is a ratio, or angle. A 2-minute group at 25-meters is 0.5-inches, and a 2-minute group at 100-yards is 2-inches; and both are equally accurate; the take home bit is, they are 2moa-accurate.
You will need to print out one of the M16 25m zero targets . Each of the squares on this sheet is a quarter of an inch. This is crucial, as a 1/4-inch at 25-meters is exactly one minute of angle.
Post your target at 25-meters (82-feet), and build a good prone position. Use your rifle sling to help support the rifle. If you don’t know how to do this, get thee to a marksmanship and history clinic! For this, a fixed-power scope is best, but if you have an adjustable power scope, then dial it down to the lowest power setting. Remember, higher power doesn’t mean more accurate, as it will amplify all of your movements as well.
Get down on the rifle, and place your reticle on the center of the target. Now you need to take note of how many squares are taken up on the vertical crosshair between the place where the duplex reticle becomes small, and the intersection of the crosshairs. Write this down. It might be something like: 8moa. Now, see the thick part of the reticle, see how many squares it is wide. It might be 2moa, or less. Now, see how wide the thick part of the horizontal cross hair is in minutes of angle, it might be 12moa. Of course, since the reticle is in a circle what goes for the vertical holds for the horizontal and vice-versa. Use whichever is more natural for your target’s shape.
Now, if you know that 1moa is 1-inch per 100-yards, and you know the dimensions of various objects, you can determine distance. From shoulder to shoulder the average man is 20-inches wide. From cheek bone to cheek bone, he is about 8-inches wide. Go measure how tall the average sedan is, or SUV, or door on a house, or garage door. All of these can be used with minutes of angle to figure out distances.
If we know that a human shoulder-span is about 20-inches, and through our hunting scope we seek that he takes up half of the small line of a cross hair, which we measured to be 8moa, we know he is 4 minutes wide. 20/4=5, so 500 yards. He’s at the extreme range of our deer-rifles. But, we’ve been to a few marksmanship classes, and we practice an awful lot; we know we can put five shots in a 4-minute group.
If he’s friendly, he’ll be glad to know he’s got a sharp eye watching out for him. If he’s not, well, we might be forced to ruin his day.
But you need to get to a 25m (82-ft) range, or set one up. Since you won’t be shooting, you can do this in your backyard. Before you do, make sure the rifle is clear and safe, and the ammunition/mags are nowhere near you, use of a chamber flag would not be overkill. Once you figure out how to use your standard duplex reticle as a rangefinder, you can got from shooting minutes-of-deer to minutes of angle, and you might save the lives of your tribe as a designated marksman.
The take-home part of this is that 1moa is 1-inch PER 100-yards. So, 2-inches at 200, 3.75-inches at 375-yards, and 10-inches at 1000-yards. Focus your shooting at 4-minutes, and you will hit a man-size target a 500 yards. Firearms skills build rust fast, so you might have the most tarted-up rifle on the block, but if you can’t use it, it’s just so-much dead weight. Even the lowly deer-rifle will out-shoot you. Get to a clinic, and practice.
The half-hour you spend doing this now could be invaluable in a crisis.
Long live the Republic,
- Cato, the American.”

speaking of scopes:

Sighting in the Hensoldt Fero Z24 Scope and ZF Model One:

“Once you get your scope mounted on your rifle, you will need to sight it in at the range. Start at a shorter range like 50 yards. Fire your first shot while holding center on the target and take note where it prints. If your rifle isn’t printing on paper at this distance, move to a shorter distance like 25 yards.

The scope is now zeroed for that distance. Using 147 grain military ball ammo or equivalent, you should be able to use the numbered increments on the elevation turret for the corresponding distances. For instance, if you move out to 300 meters, simply turn the top turret to the number 3.“

So I’m perusing guns.com’s forums and I run across this:

“my wife worked in a school until this year. Her job was so stressful she decided to quit. So many teachers have freaked out in the past and so many have been arrested for endangering children. Teaching children is rated as one of the most stressful jobs in the world. Especially teaching older children and the developmentally and cognitively impaired. Most teachers would be rated as threats to themselves and others. Carrying guns would not be a good idea. Most colleges have anti open carry laws as by-laws not part of actual city or county or even state precedence. Most states will allow carrying a firearm on to a university while the laws also state that private businesses have the right to disallow persons from entering the business with a firearm or weapon on their person. Police can usually carry on a campus but police cannot carry on most primary education campuses. Here in Idaho you can carry inside of most government buildings, save courthouses and any place that might house higher ranking officials. Most states are the same. The line you speak of is not nor will it ever be arbitrary. Most educators stay above the influence of their stress and keep a level head. This keeps an image of them as educators. If any of them were to kill any threats this would completely change their image in the minds of their students. This would also damage the students far more than seeing their peers and teacher die as death can be explained as a part of life. Not to get philosophical, but that is how a higher district employee explained it to me. I can see that very easily.”

And then the followup:

“as I said. It is what I was told by a higher up in the district. Think about how you see officers.. Psychology plays a huge role in everything we do. “Open carry intimidates people” etc. You can’t say it doesn’t. It is the ones who stop fighting the crazy inside that end up shooting up places and robbing banks. The line between officer and teacher is not arbitrary. The line between self defensing citizen and educational professional may be arbitrary to some but to me, the line is clear. I don’t want my son to see any of that no matter what. But i also don’t want him to think it is ok to shoot someone even in self defense. Of course I would have no problem killing someone in SD but I would still not like having to do it. The “arbitrary” line you speak of is there no matter what whether for psych purposes or real ones. I didn’t make the rule and the idea of having to shoot someone does not make me happy. It’s a loose loose either way. Don’t misread and say I wouldn’t kill in SD. I would. I would also teach my son to do so but the guidelines have to be there as with everything else. And while this is a GUN forum, keep in mind not everyone thinks like we do and sees the need to bear arms. No matter what those people will always have a say so in society. Sorry for straying off of the open carry topic. Please resume the topic. ”

Am I alone in thinking this is insane?

If any of them were to kill any threats this would completely change their image in the minds of their students. This would also damage the students far more than seeing their peers and teacher die as death can be explained as a part of life. Not to get philosophical, but that is how a higher district employee explained it to me. I can see that very easily.

Seeing an “educator” kill an attacker in self defense is _worse_ than seeing a classmate or teacher die from an attacker?

What. The. Fuck?!

But i also don’t want him to think it is ok to shoot someone even in self defense. Of course I would have no problem killing someone in SD but I would still not like having to do it.

Ok, so it’s alright for you to kill in self defense, but not for your son. Heck, he can’t even know it’s ok in theory? Again, What. The. Fuck?!

Head Down Products is giving away a SBD22 Suppressor, to enter the contest you have to link to something on their webpage. Ok, here it is.

it looks like an interesting suppressor. The MSRP is less than what I paid for my Warlock, but it’s titanium so it should be lighter. I don’t like that it’s closed, but so are all my cans. If I win one I’ll be sure to review it here.

holy cow there are a lot!

Gun Giveaway Contests

Handguns

• Springfield XD(M)
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.guns.com/gunscom-xdm-giveaway.html
• Kahr CW45
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/gun-giveaway
• Sig Sauer P220 Stainless
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.sigsauer.com/TeamSig/Sweepstakes.aspx
• Smith & Wesson Governor
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.shootingusa.com/LATEST_UPDATES/gun_a_month/gun_a_month.html
• Walther PPQ
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  https://www.galleryofguns.com/about/GGGEntry.aspx
• Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://sportsmansnews.com/2011/05/mays-gun-giveaway-is-the-smith-and-wesson-sd40-home-defense-kit/
• Canik 55
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• Kahr P-380
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.ontargetmagazine.com/gun-giveaway
• FMK 9mm
  
  Deadline: July 1, 2011
  http://www.gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Masterpiece Arms MPA380 & ISSC MK22
  
  Deadline: July 31, 2011
  http://www.gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Springfield XDm
  
  Deadline: August 30, 2011
  http://www.americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• Nighthawk 1911
  
  Deadline: September 30, 2011
  http://www.americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• Glock 20 (10mm)
  
  Winner announced when the Oilfield Camo Facebook page reaches 5,000 fans
  http://www.facebook.com/oilfieldcamo?sk=app_121121694568521
• Glock 19
  
  Winner announced when membership to Shooters Legion reaches 5,000
  http://www.shooterslegion.com

Rifles

• Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle
  
  Deadline: June 17, 2011
  http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/win-a-free-ar7-survival-rifle-from-ready-made-resources
• CZ 550 American .270
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.gunsamerica.com/Giveaways/CZ550American.aspx
• PR2012SM Optima Muzzleloader
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.cva.com/cva-contest.php
• Mossberg 464 .30-30
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.gundigest.com/sweepstakes
• FN SCAR 16, Sig P226, GSG MP5 22LR, SOG Seal Team Knife
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.freegunstuff.com/EnterContest.aspx?CID=48
• Kriss Vector CRB
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.gunsforsale.com/contest
• Montana Roughrider, 45/70
  
  Restricted to active duty military personnel
  
  Deadline: September 10, 2011
  http://www.shilohrifle.com/rifle_drawing.php
• Head DownXPR15
  
  Winner announced when the Head Down Facebook page reaches 5,000 fans
  http://www.facebook.com/headdownproducts
• AR-15
  
  Deadline unavailable (I’ve contacted Patriot Safe to find out the deadline)
  http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1050527-JL5lseBA3P

Shotguns

• Benelli Nova 12ga
  
  Deadline: August 15, 2011
  http://www.themandeal.com/

Air Rifles

• Gamo Silent Stalker
  
  Deadline: June 19, 2011
  http://www.gamousa.com/Gamo-contests.aspx

Ammunition

• 1 Case (500 Rounds) of .223/5.56mm or 7.62×39mm
  
  Recurring Quarterly
  http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=145278472182102

Knives

• Boker Plus Collector’s Knife
  
  Recurring Monthly
  http://www.ebladestore.com/knife-giveaway.shtml

Constitution

• Pocket-sized Constitution and Declaration of Independence
  
  Recurring Monthly
  http://www.askheritage.org/premium.aspx

National Rifle Association

• 12 Month NRA Freedom Associate Membership
  
  Recurring Monthly
  https://www.nrahq.org/FreedomAssoc/default.asp

Accessories

• SmartCarry Holster
  
  Deadline: June 13, 2011
  http://thattexaslady.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-about-give-away.html
• BSA Majestic DX 3-9X40 Rifle Scope
  
  Deadline: June 19, 2011
  http://www.bsaoptics.com/bsa-contests.aspx
• Hawke Varmint SF 6-24×44 1/2 Mil Dot Riflescope
  
  Deadline: June 30, 2011
  http://www.nrahuntersrights.org
• $1,000 Wilson Combat Certificate
  
  Winner announced when the Wilson Combat Facebook page reaches 10,000 likes
  http://wilson.spreadable.com/
• .22LR AR-15 Conversion Kit
  
  Recurring Monthly
  http://www.ar15conversions.com/
• 1911 Pistol Grips
  
  Recurring Monthly
  http://www.e1911pistolgrips.com/
• Crimson Trace Laser Grips
  
  Recurring Monthly
  http://www.crimsontrace.com/Home/Support/WinFreeLasergrips/tabid/317/Default.aspx
• Osprey Defense Gas Piston Kit
  
  Recurring Monthly
  http://gaspiston.com/product/monthly-gas-piston-kit-giveaway/
• Gun Care USA Cleaning Kit
  
  Recurring Monthly
  http://guncareusa.com/photo-of-the-month

Raffles

• None this month

Training

• None this month

Hunting

• None this month

The Guerena Shooting: Initial Analysis

Shocking Helmet Video Shows SWAT’s Barrage of Bullets: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

I can’t hear them saying “Police” and it’s very interesting that the video contradicts what the supervisor on scene said in his sworn testimony. If he got things wrong like that the team was outside the vehicle ridding on the rails, when as we see in the video they are not and are all inside the vehicle, and he says they had the sirens and lights on all the way up to the house, when again, from the video they did not, then how the hell can anyone believe anything this dude says? Seriously, any criminal case this guy is involved with the defense attorneys need to enter this video and his statement in as evidence to show he’s a lying sack of shit.

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?… The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin’s thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If…if…We didn’t love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation…. We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”
— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Barnes v Indiana

Ind. Sheriff: If We Need to Conduct RANDOM HOUSE to HOUSE Searches We Will

“According to Newton County Sheriff, Don Hartman Sr., random house to house searches are now possible and could be helpful following the Barnes v. STATE of INDIANA Supreme Court ruling issued on May 12th, 2011. ”

I may be buying an old, built in 1941(? the data plate says 11-41 on it, I assume that’s the date of manufacture) , Ditch Witch model V30 this week. I need to dig a few trenches at my house (power out to the shed and future deck & sprinklers) , and my brother in law will be building a house soon and could use it for that. The guy is asking $1500. It does not have a backhoe on it. I looked at it today and it runs, everything works: the blade goes up and down, it drives around, and the trencher works and pivots up and down. The brakes could use some work, and the guy didn’t have any manuals for it.

So, anyone have an electronic copy of the manual, or know where to buy one online? I emailed Ditch Witch up in Oklahoma and they let me know they’d not made that model since 1981 and had no manuals or parts for it in stock, but local dealers might. The local Ditch Witch rep was not very helpful.

The tires were cracked, but are holding air and have a good amount of tread left. I was wondering if tires were still available for it if it needed them.

Anyone used a V30 before? Is it easy to figure out? Does it suck ass and have a tendency to buck and throw the operator into the trencher? If so, please let me know

The Marcus Magazine adapter system looks interesting. You take out the old SKS mag, put in a piece of machined aluminium, then it accepts any modified Tapco sks mag. Not permanently moded on the sks, so it still retains it’s C&R status. Does not work with AK mags as they are too wide. Might have to try this out, we’ve got three or four of the Tapco sks mags.

This is a failure of mindset on the part of the cops, who are used to people not attacking them and just doing whatever they say, and a triumph (?) of mindset on the part of the knife wielder. Not in a good way, mind you, but clearly he had decided to fight and to fight with deadly force, and the cops did not. Also, this is a good example of why we keep people with knives away from us. 21 feet is the oft quoted distance at which a man with a knife can run at you and stab you to death before you can clear your holster.

Since it fires a small Cyalume stick there is no danger of fire, nor will shooting lots of it ruin a barrel. Cool!

This person sat down in his car and his concealed Glock went BANG! !!!

SAFETY WARNING! Worn Leather Holsters Can Cause Accidental Discharges!

“Holstering your gun can be just as important as drawing it. Make sure you pay attention when doing so. If your leather is getting soft and worn, be sure that it won’t interfere with your trigger or just replace it.

This truly brings home the importance of taking care of your equipment and ensuring it’s in proper working order. Hopefully you can learn from my situation and prevent an accident like this from happening to you.”

Read the whole thing. Make sure your holster is alright. Yeah, I know $50+ for a holster adds up, but I’d rather buy a new one every year, or so, than shoot myself, wouldn’t you?

Telegraph, Citing WikiLeaks: Break In Hunt for Bin Ladin May Have Been Provided By Not Only Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, But by Enhanced Interrogation Techniques Performed On An Al Qaeda Operative Captured in Iraq

Wow. $500 pistol turned into up to $8,189.87! Yeah, he had to buy plane tickets, but still. Wow!

So much for airport security: Man ’smuggled 80 guns into Britain’ by hiding them in suitcases:

“An American man is suspected of smuggling 80 weapons into the UK by hiding them in his suitcases.
Former U.S. marine Steven Greenoe, who holds British citizenship, apparently strolled through airport security in both Britain and America with dozens of handguns stashed in his suitcases on ten flights last year.
He is believed to have delivered them to criminal contacts in the North West of England.
On one occasion, Greenoe was stopped after officials at Atlanta airport spotted the firearms.
But incredibly he was allowed to board the flight after telling officials he worked as an international security consultant.
The revelations are an embarrassment for transatlantic security and for the UK Border Agency.
It makes a mockery of security regulations which mean innocent passengers have to carry cosmetics in clear plastic bags when in fact Greenoe apparently had no problems carrying weapons in a suitcase.
An investigation is understood to have been launched after police in the North West recovered a number of new guns.
Of the five weapons recovered in the UK that are believed to have been flown in by Greenoe, tests showed that one was used in a drive-by shooting in Manchester last October, the Times reported last night.
A number of 9mm semi-automatic pistols believed to have been bought by Mr Greenoe for $500 each in a North Carolina gunshop were offered for sale at up to £5,000 a piece in Britain a week later, according to the Times.
More than 60 weapons, including more than 20 Glock pistols and more than a dozen Ruger handguns, are understood to be still unaccounted for.
Mr Greenoe, 37, who is married to a British woman, was finally arrested in the United States in July after a British-led investigation.
Federal agents found 16 firearms and ammunition magazines that had been broken down and hidden in his bags.
He was charged with unlawfully shipping firearms on an airline without notifying airline officials and without an export license, according to court documents.
According to a report in a local newspaper, police in the UK said they thought the guns were bound for the black market.

Mr Greenoe is understood to have bought the weapons in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he went to school. His mother still lives in the city and Greenoe is alleged to have stayed at her home during his frequent visits to buy guns during late 2009 and the first half of 2010.
He was able to exploit relatively lax security at the local airport, Raleigh-Durham International, by dismantling the guns and distributing the parts among several suitcases.
On each trip the cases were checked on to a domestic flight to Atlanta then transferred to a Delta transatlantic flight to Manchester.
A UK Border Agency spokesman last night refused to comment on the case.
She added: ‘The security of the UK is the government’s top priority. UK Border Agency officers work around the clock to actively intercept smugglers causing harm to the UK.
‘We work closely to act quickly against suspected illegal imports to keep the border secure and protect the public.’
Police believe Greenoe’s wife Elizabeth, with whom he lived in Shrewsbury, was not aware of his activities, the Times reported.
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Time for Daylight: U.S. Weapons Reaching Cartel Hands a Huge Scandal

“The U.S. government has effectively allowed weaponry to reach cartels, and now uses the violence they helped cause as a gun control argument.”