The Debate over Standard Capacity Magazines

There is currently legislation proposed at the federal level, as well as in quite a few states to restrict how many bullets can be loaded into the magazine of a semi-automatic rifle or pistol.

The argument is that if magazines were mandated by law to have a lower capacity than the standard 30 rounds that the AR-15 rifle uses, killers such as those at Sandy Hook school, and the Aurora movie Theater would have had to reload more frequently.

Some states have already enacted legislation mandating lower magazine capacities. New York state, for example just enacted a ban on magazines with more than seven (7) rounds capacity.

Would it really make any difference if the killers at Columbine High school, for example, had to reload after seven shots? 

No, I don't think so. But don't take my word for it, click here to take a look at this demonstration video from my friend, Ken Campbell who is the Sheriff of Boone County, Indiana.

Colorado Legislature Debates Gun Control

I was at the Colorado State Capitol hearings all day on Feb 19. We had a very strong turnout, but I heard the deal had already been done before hearings began. The original proposition was 10-round maximum capacity on rifle and pistol magazines and 5-round capacity on tubular shotgun magazines. It was amended and passed as a 15-round capacity on rifle/pistol mags and 8-round capacity on tubular shotgun magazines. .22 long rifle tubular magazines were exempted from the bill.

Colorado-based magazine manufacturer Magpul’s CFO testified against all the restrictions and said the company is considering leaving the state (potential loss of 700 jobs plus $48mil in annual revenue.) That made the committee sit up and take notice, but in the long run it didn't change their minds.

As a political refugee from Britain (formerly Great) I’m opposed to disarming law-abiding citizens. It transforms them eventually from proud, free citizens to groveling subjects. In Britain gun control legislation began with the Pistol act of 1903 anyone wishing to buy a pistol commercially merely had to purchase a license on demand over the counter from a post office before doing so.

That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

In fact, any time you see the word “reasonable” used to describe pending legislation, it should be a warning of worse things to come. “Reasonable” really means “just the first step designed to get a bill passed into law, because a less reasonable bill would fail.” 

Reasonable-sounding bills often get amended later on to be far less reasonable.

In Britain, the next piece of legislation was The Firearms Act of 1920 A firearm certificate had to be granted by the chief officer of police before a gun could be acquired.

Still reasonable? Perhaps, but only for people who don’t understand that (as declared in the United States Bill of Rights: Second Amendment) gun ownership is a right, and not subject to the whim of a public servant.

After a couple of mass shooting in England and Scotland, The Firearms Amendment Act of 1988 banned the ownership of semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and restricted the use of shotguns with a capacity of more than three cartridges (in magazine plus the breech). And the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 was enacted, which effectively made private ownership of handguns illegal in the United Kingdom.

Personal freedom in the UK was finally dead.

Meanwhile, not only have violent crimes in Britain (formerly Great) skyrocketed, but the fall of the Soviet Union provided a huge number of eastern European weapons to enter Britain illegally, and end up on the streets. Estimates today are that there are far more illegal guns in Britain than ever were legally held.

Anti-gun, anti-personal freedom legislators would do well to heed the lessons of history.    

Madison Rising

Here's a very cool band that is starting to get some attention. According to Wikipedia:
"Madison Rising is an American rock band led by singer Dave Bray and guitarist Alex Bodnar. The band composes and performs guitar-heavy rock music with an explicitly patriotic pro-American message and sound. The overarching theme of the band’s music is that of liberty, independence, smaller government, patriotic duty and personal responsibility.
Madison Rising's self-titled debut CD was released on October 17, 2011 and immediately charted in the top 100 best selling rock albums on Itunes and Amazon.com"

Check out their incredible rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by clicking here.

Crank up the volume!                                 http://www.madisonrising.com/

Colorado Sherrifs Opinion on Gun Control

The County Sherrifs of Colorado (CSoC) organization has produced a five-page paper on the proposed gun control legislation that has been introduced at the federal and various state levels. The CSoC basically stands in support of the Second Amendment (Bill of Rights) to the U.S. Constitution and explains why gun control is a dangerous thing. The paper also offers commentary on how mental health policies of  "deinstitutionalization" is a major cause of the increases in contact of people with mental illness and the criminal justice system.

I fully endorse the Colorado Sherrif's opinions as stated in this paper. Here's the link if you want to read it for yourself:
   http://www.csoc.org/ppdocs/GunControlLegislation.pdf

RIP General Schwarzkopf

General Norman Schwarzkopf, the US Army General who masterminded and led the rescue of Kuwait in 1991 from the occupying Iraqi military died on Dec 27 at the age of 78.

"Stormin' Norman" as he was known to the troops and the media was a hard charging, no nonsense guy who was in the right place at the right time to pull together a coalition force of troops from various nations and pull off a huge victory, obliterating much of Saddam Husein's forces in a "one hundred hours" campaign and chasing the rest back across the Iraq border.

We can only speculate how history might have been changed for the better if that coalition force had been allowed by the various western governments to follow the Iraqi forces into Iraq and finish the job.

General Schwarzkopf wrote his autobiography after the Iraq war, titled, "It Doesn't take a Hero." It is well worth the read.

RIP General Norman Schwarzkopf

Don't Expect the World to End

A lot has been said the past couple of years about the Mayan Calendar coming to an end on December 21, 2012 and other coinciding events such as the alignment of the earth with the center of the galaxy. It reminds me of the last time that predictions were made about the collapse of civilization:
The event on December 31st, 1999 when the century changed from 1900 to  2000--commonly known as Y2K.

The prediction was that computers worldwide had not been programed to recognize the date change, and therefore dates on computerized documents would show "January 1st, 1900" instead of  "January 1st, 2000." Imagine what that would do to computerized calculations, for example in banks, calculating interest on accounts, or in government facilities with scientific calculations involving date and distance, for example. As a computer programmer at the time, I (like most programmers worldwide) spent quite a lot of my time leading up to Y2K ensuring that computer programs were updated to allow for the new century.

Even so, like many people worldwide, I doubted that every line of code in the world would be changed correctly and in time, and so I made some preparations for outages in the national electric grid and other
utilities caused by computer failures, that could affect the supply of electrical power, water, electronic communication, and therefore may result in rioting, delays in food deliveries, lack of emergency services, etc.

Fortunately, on 12/31/1999 nothing much happened. But it did cause me to think about how to survive potentially dangerous incidents that are not as exotic as a worldwide collapse of technology, but are more likely: House fires, terrorist attacks, flu pandemics, hurricanes, earthquakes ... the world has experienced all of these on a fairly frequent basis.

One good thing about the whole Mayan calendar brouhaha is that it causes many people to ask themselves for the first time, "What if?"

What if I was without power, communications, food and water for 48 hours or longer? What if the police knocked at my door and told me I had five minutes to evacuate my home? Do I know what my options are to Shelter in Place (SIP) and ride out an emergency, or to evacuate to avoid one?

Let's use this Mayan calendar discussion as an opportunity to evaluate where we are, what the most likely threats to our well-being are, and what and who we have around us to be able to shelter in place or evacuate if we are ever faced with a more mundane, but more likely event that threatens our well-being.
See you on December 22nd!

John's radio interview with Mark Walters

I recently did an interview on Armed American Radio with host Mark Walters, talking about my book, "Dealing with Danger -- Be Prepared, Aware, and Decisive." 

Mark and I discussed a lot of the principles a person can adopt to be more safe in their everyday life, and  to be better able end each day in the same or better condition than when the day began.

Click here to listen to the interview:
http://armedamericanradio.org/2012/10/10-21-2012-hour-2/#comments

Some Advice on Disaster Preparedness

 It is the season for forest fires and hurricanes. In the southwest part of the United States there have already been some very large, very destructive forest fires. 

Hurricane season on the Atlantic coast runs from June 1st to November 30th, and for the eastern Pacific began on May 15th and also ends on November 30th.

People who live in these affected areas would be wise to have a plan in place to evacuate or bug out of their homes when directed to by emergency and government organizations. if you can pack a bugout bag in advance, that's a good idea.

Here are some useful links on disaster preparedness that you can click on (the last one is my website):

National Hurricane Center

City of Boulder Office of Emergency Management

The Red Cross

John's Junkyard Dog website Safety & Security Tips

The Wild Animal Sanctuary

Went to a wonderful event at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado this weekend. The sanctuary cares for more than 290 Lions, Tigers, Bears, Leopards, Mountain Lions, Wolves and other large carnivores, it is the first sanctuary of its kind to create large acreage species-specific habitats for its rescued animals. This is the organization that rescued 25 African Lions from circus' in Bolivia last year.

More News about Concealed Carry in New Mexico

It seems that the state government in New Mexico is reconsidering its position on reciprocity agreements for  concealed carry permit holders from  other states. The state recently announced that it is conducting an audit to determine which states have laws that are similar enough to New Mexico's concealed carry laws that reciprocity is possible. For the latest statement, and a list of states that New Mexico recognizes reciprocity, click on this link to the New Mexico state government website:

 http://www.dps.nm.org/index.php/nm-concealed-carry/reciprocity-agreements/

Thinking About Visiting New Mexico? Think Again

Visitors to New Mexico who hold a Concealed Weapons permit issued in their home state should know that New Mexico no longer honors Concealed Carry permits from 13 other states.  Here's the link to the state government website that lists which states have been dropped from the list:

New Mexico Reciprocity Agreements

NRA Personal Protection class

Just finished teaching the NRA Personal Protection in the Home class last Saturday as part of a four instructor team. It's a pretty good class and is a good starting point for people who are interested in obtaining their Concealed Carry permit. Forty-nine of the fifty states currently have laws allowing some form of concealed carry of a pistol for self defense (Come on, Illinois ... we're waiting). Topics include firearm safety, marksmanship, explanation of ammunition, use of cover and concealment, plus a lecture from a law enforcement officer or a lawyer on state statutes and use of deadly force and the law. Contact the National Rifle Association for details of classes in your state.

Security Tips 101 for the Holidays

Here's a few simple precautions to take when shopping for the holiday season (or any other time):

Shopping Online: Do not use public computers (such as those in public libraries) to order stuff online. It's an exposure of personal information, such as home address and credit card info.

Shop at retailers that are well known and trustworthy, and don't access website via links that were sent to you in emails. Always type in the website address.

Remember to update anti-virus software every day.

Shopping in stores: Keep all receipts and check them against monthy credit card and bank statements. If there are any discrepancies, notify the bank or credit card company immediately.

"Skimming" is the criminal act of attaching a credit card reader to a bank cash machine. When a customer swipes their bank card to get cash from their account, the skimmer records the number so that funds can be stolen from the account at a later time. Always check for odd-looking devices attached to the ATM before withdrawing cash.

At stores and restaurants, keep credit cards in sight when paying for items. If the waiter or store staff must take the card away, be sure they give you your card back, and not some other card.

Especially in crowded places such as stores, cash machines and bars be aware of people around you. if someone looks or acts in a suspicious manner, put some distance between you and them.

In a vehicle, store valuables in the trunk, or at least throw a blanket over them so criminals cannot tell if there is anything valuable in the car.

Connecticut Dodges a Bullet on a Magazine Ban

Senate Bil 1094, that would have banned the possession and manufacture of magazines with a capacity of more than ten rounds, died in committee on Friday when the Judiciary Committee declined to vote on the bill. Bills like this are most certainly an infringement on the right to keep and bear arms, and do nothing to stop crime. I'm glad to see that the senators on the Connecticut Judiciary Committee see it that way. You only have to look at other countries that have enacted various types of gun bans to see the consequences. In Britain, restrictions on firearms have led to an increase in burglaries and home invasions, because criminals are no longer afraid of being shot if they break into someone's home. And as guns have become increasingly difficult to own, the increase in violent crimes involving knives has skyrocketed to the point where the stupid british politicians want to severely restrict ownership of knives and police actively request members of the public to turn in their friends who own a knife. Has anybody read George Orwell lately?
I personally have seen refrigerator magnets in a London police station that read, "If you know someone who has a knife ..." and then gives a phone number for a crime hotline.

We have to remember that gun control (and in some cases, knife control) is not about reducing crime, it's about politicians and governments making it harder for the people to protect themselves from crime (so that they become more dependent on government), and harder for the people to overthrow a tyrannical government. Every dictator in modern history has disarmed the population so that he could control them.

Where are they Now?

Did you ever wonder what Harry Potter's enemy, Draco Malfoy did when he grew up?



















Landed a cool gig as Vice President.

WWII Veteran is honored by the US Army Marksmanship Unit

My friends at the US Army Marksmanship Unit, Ft. Benning, Georgia recently honored an 86-year-old World War Two veteran who was an Army sniper.

Medals are great, but for his service during WWII, the AMU gave this gentleman an honor that has only been bestowed on a non-AMU member eight times before: An AMU black hat.

Here comes the best part; they took him out to the sniper range and he shot not only a replica of the sniper rifle he carried in WWII at 300 yards but also the latest, hi-tec sniper rifle currently in use by the AMU at 1,000 yards. Click here to watch this great piece of video and see how well he did.

The Dangers of Gun Bill H.R. 308

Following on the heels of the shootings in Arizona, congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY, 4 District) has introduced federal bill H.R. 308 The Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act. Unlike many previous gun ban bills that were an attempt to ban everything imaginable, this bill is very short. It is intended to "Prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes"

In other words, it is designed to reinstate the provision in the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban (1994 - 2004) that banned the sale of magazines with a capacity of more than ten rounds.

The H.R. 308 McCarthy bill, "magazine, belt, drum, feed strip or similar device that has a capacity of ... more than ten rounds of ammunition." and goes on to say that under the bill, it "... shall be unlawful for a person to transfer or possess a large capacity ammunition feeding device."

The bill does include a provision that keeps it legal for anyone who already owns any of the above mentioned feeding devices before the bill becomes law, to keep them.

This law is bad for a number of reasons:

First, this country is at war with radical Islamists. The troops who have been deployed since 2002 in the Middle-east use the same thirty-round capacity magazines in their M4/M16 assault rifles as civilians and law enforcement officers use in their AR-15 rifles. The troops use the same high-capacity magazines in their 9mm M11 pistols as civilians police officers use in their 9mm Beretta pistols. The sad fact is that the firearms industry that manufactures weapons for our military cannot survive on military contracts alone.

Without the money spent by civilians on these items, the firearms industry could not keep its doors open, and would not be able to supply our troops and our police officers.

Unless, of course, you want each magazine to cost the Pentagon ten times what it costs now.

Second, it isn't like we haven't already tried this legislation. The Clinton magazine ban was around for ten years. Did we see any reduction in crime because of it? NO. But one thing we did see was that pistols designed to run with higher capacity magazines were not always as reliable when running the hastily-redesigned ten-round magazines. Don't home-owners and the nine million people in this country who hold a concealed carry permit deserve to have a reliable pistol for their defense?

Representative McCarthy's passion for more gun control stems from the murder of her husband on the Long Island Railroad Commuter Train shootings in 1993 when a nutcase with a pistol murdered six people and wounded nineteen others. My heart goes out to her for her loss. But the answer to making the world a safer place is not to disarm law abiding citizens and put them at the mercy of those who wantonly and violently break the law. The answer lies in accepting the constitutional right of those citizens to arm themselves, if they choose, in order to successfully defend themselves and those for whom they care and are responsible.

And if that means carrying a pistol with one or more high capacity magazines, then so be it.

It's the violent nut cases of this world we have to curtail, defeat, and whose rights we should infringe upon, not those who already respect and obey the law.

Was this Harry Reid's former job?

Have you ever wondered what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did before he became a politician?
I think he was in radio. Click here to see Harry at work. He doesn't seem to have changed much.

Lame Duck Congress

This week in Washington DC will mark the end of the Lame Duck session currently underway in the US Congress. This is the time between the conclusion of the mid-term elections for Senators and House members and the end of the current Congress. When the new congress convenes early in the new year, it will be comprised of those current members who have held on to their elected seats and also new members who won in last month's elections.

Right now, those members who did not win their re-elections are still working to pass laws in the last few frantic days of this session. They are called "Lame Ducks." The implication is that they are not in a position to achieve much. Lame ducks have the dubious honor of being able to pass legislation without being in office when it takes effect. It's like the high school kid who knocks up his school Principle's daughter and then runs off to join the French Foreign Legion.

Lame Duck is a stupid term. It implies a lack of ability to do anything. The dictionary defines "Lame" as weak, crippled or physically disabled, inadequate ... "Duck" is defined as to avoid or evade, and in the British game of Cricket it is a failure of the batsman to score. However, in the congress, these politicians are not lame ducks, they are still very dangerous and capable of inflicting massive damage--not least of which is their ability to spend this country into bankruptcy.

The term "politician" is derived from "poly" meaning many and "tic" meaning a blood sucking parasite. I had to look up "ian" in the dictionary and ... well, here's the actual quote from dictionary.com: "Suffix from the Latin - anus."

So there it is. In the last few days of Pelosi's First Reich, there is still time for them to leave a legacy of dangerous legislation that The Leader (Oops, sorry. I'm confusing him with the delusional, arrogant despot in North Korea) could sign into law.

Once again, Americans will be hamstrung by the legislation created by those whom they elected.
And they will become the real lame ducks.

Veterans day and Happy Birthday to the U.S. Marine Corps

I was just about to blog Veterans Day, November 11 (which is also known in Great Britain and Europe as Armistice Day) and the birthday of the United States Marine Corps, November 10th, when I received the following from my good friend Jerry, a true patriot and also a Vietnam Veteran. He says it so much better than I can:

While this list of VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE doesn't come close to the
extensive list in my head and heart.... all of those since my earliest
memories, from the WW 1 Veterans who, with their crude prosthetic
devices and gas seared lungs, came home and dug coal, put down endless
miles of railroad, harvested an unimaginably massive hardwood forest,
layed the foundation for the industrial revolution and in their own
best ways dealt with their many demons right here in little old Buchtel
and many, many other such places, right up to and including todays best
and brightest..... it IS a respectful attempt to bestow HONOR AND
DIGNITY TO ALL who have stood tall and still do today when their country
calls. It is a modest and heartfelt effort to simply THANK THOSE who
offered it all.... left their families far behind; risked their lives
and yes, even worse; to keep our home on track of becoming the finest,
freest, most emulated, loved and feared nation in the short history of
modern man. No other nation has ever offered such promise, realized the
coming true of so many dreams, or stood ready to defend such great
ideals as has and done the United States of America. "THANKS" TO ALL WHO
WEAR THE TITLE, "VETERAN". GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES,
AS YOU HAVE INDEED MADE AND HAVE KEPT IT ALL POSSIBLE !! AND,TO THE
FEW, THE PROUD, THE UNITED STATES MARINES, " HAPPY BIRTHDAY" .....
SEMPER FIDELIS !!! SULLY

A musical tribute to our military branches