The Lone Libertarian

Here’s a story developing this afternoon from Memphis.

It would appear that occupants of two vehicles on Summer Avenue near Hudson were shooting at one another causing a three car crash.

It seems that a home and business were struck with bullets as well as a vehicle.

The Commerical Appeal writer describes a gun and a “clip” of ammunition being left at the scene.  Who wants to bet that it was actually a “magazine” with ammunition in it?

Neighbors said gunshots on the small stretch of street are common.

The rule in the neighborhood is if you hear gunshots, “hit the flo’ and get low.”

Journalism at its finest.

The Avon and Somerset police in Britain set up a Youtube channel that sets out to shame those who make ridiculous calls to 999 (an emergency service like 911 here in the US).

Link here.

There are some real gems in here.

Here’s a taste.

This is a highly clever video.  Play along, and see how many you get right.

This is the first I have heard of the “peanut-free” zones featured at several MLB games.  Evidently this phenomenon is sweeping the MLB as the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals have featured special sections at their games for those with peanut allergies.

Vendors are not allowed to sell peanuts in this section, and those who sit there are not allowed to bring peanuts into them, for fear of someone asphyxiating due to the aroma alone.

Supposedly there are only 12 million Americans with food allergies.  So that means that approximately 4% of the population of the US have food allergies (not necessarily peanut allergies).

Does anyone else see this as a little ridiculous?

You gotta buy some peanuts and cracker jacks.  IT’S BASEBALL FOR CRYIN’ OUT LOUD!

Want to impress me MLB?  How about making “alcohol-free” zones in your parks, so that alcoholics can sit and not be tempted by beer sales and those drinking beer?  With 10.8 million underage drinkers in the US, and 14 million alcoholics, you’d think that it would be a more worthwhile endeavor.

Of course, I don’t think Anheuser Busch would allow that.   Heh.

I was hoping that this video was a spoof, but it appears it is possibly genuine.

This guy was totally irresponsible, and I find his actions towards someone who is inexperienced with a firearm reprehensible.

I think there are better ways of teaching people respect for firearms, and not to play around with them.

You be the judge.

The Memphis-area gun blogger meet-up went quite well on Saturday.  Bonnie, Brandon, Gracie (Brandon’s daughter), Paul, Tracie, Rusty, and I all met at the East End Grill on Hwy 64.  The venue was a definitely a good choice.   The food was pretty darn good, and the service wasn’t half bad either.  I’m still stretching my wings when it comes to the blogosphere, so I sat silent for much of the conversation.  With time, I imagine I will recognize and learn who’s who.  Everyone was really nice, and I look forward to blogging in such good company.

It’s probably good that I didn’t pipe up too much.  I seem pretty proper and decent in blog form, but in real life I have a pretty foul mouth.  Heh.

Anyhow, for the substance of the post.  The range outing after lunch gave me the opportunity to fire my brand-spanking-new Glock G17 9mm.  I’m not going to pretend that the following commentary is a review proper, however I have a few impressions to share (based on my Browning BDM experience).

I grew up on revolvers and shotguns, so semi-automatic pistols are still kind of new to me.  Last year, my father gave me a Browning BDM 9mm, and I fell in love with it.  The BDM is a discontinued weapon (RIP 1998, we hardly knew ye).  The history of  the BDM is quite interesting, as it was intended to be an FBI weapon.

Anyhow, the BDM had only been fired at a range one time.  It was virtually a new weapon out of the box.  Since receiving it I used it in my carry permit qualification and carry it on my person.  All told it is a good weapon, however it has some hang-ups.   I noticed some months back that the slide has the tendency to not return fully sometimes after firing, thus giving the illusion of a misfire when I hear the gun go “click” and nothing happens.  I have also had the slide “jam” on the first round out of the magazine when hitting the slide release after reloading (I’ve also had this happen when I manually yank the slide back to load).

Could this be the side effect of a “fairly new” gun with only about 650 rounds pumped through it?  Maybe, I’m not sure.  I clean it and oil it religiously after each use, so surely its not error in that regard (or at least I hope).

Considering the malfunctions, and how unpleasant they would be to happen when I need the weapon to work, I decided that I needed a more reliable weapon (that parts are still available for, and not highway robbery).  I enjoy a 9mm pistol, and during my level 1 class at Range USA, I had a good experience with a Glock.

Bass Pro Shops was running a Glock sale, and I had a $50 gift card burning a hole in my pocket, so I took the plunge.  Visually the G17 is a beauty.  Compared to the BDM, the G17 is a lighter gun, but not by much.

I really like how the G17 feels in my hand.  The default grip with the finger notches is really nice.  When firing, I feel like I have more control over the shot.  The sights are nice, especially when using against a black target (a half white square on the rear and a white dot in the front).

The weapon fires great.  Recoil is about the same as what I perceived with the BDM.  In alternating between the BDM and the G17, I noticed I was a better shot with the G17.  (Possibly due to a sight issue I had with the BDM since day one.)  I should also just go ahead and own up to the fact that I am not a great shot at all, and I am way out of practice.

Getting the Glock open for cleaning is a cinch.

I also definitely appreciate getting a post-Clinton era weapon with a magazine that holds more than 10 bullets (like the BDM).  The two magazines that came with the weapon hold 17 each, which is sweet.

Placing the weapon in a generic holster I had laying around, it is going to feel much better as a carry weapon than the BDM.  The lighter weight coupled with the shorter barrel will make it a little less awkward to fuss with.

Here comes the gripes.  I don’t like how hard you have to press the magazine release to eject the magazine.  I know it’s probably a “safety feature” but  every time I smash that little plastic button in, I feel like I’m going to break it to get the magazine out.

I also don’t like the slide lock.  It is too flush with the side of the weapon.  I have to turn the weapon to my side to simultaneously  pull the slide back and get enough leverage with my thumb to flick it up.  If I wasn’t a responsible gun owner, this could cause me to unintentionally turn the weapon and point it at someone trying to open it.  I figured out the hand gymnastics necessary to open the slide without turning the weapon, but for a novice, I can see it as a problem.

All that said, I think I’m going to be really happy with my new “traveling companion.”  All I need now is a proper holster.  The generic Uncle Mike’s I bought for the BDM aren’t going to cut it anymore.

I decided over the weekend that I should go back to paper for life organization stuff.  Right now I have calendars in Outlook at work, Google Calendar for personal stuff, some dates scribbled on the back of an envelope, and a Palm V calendar.

My Palm battery is virtually dead, (it may last 20 minutes on a full charge), so using it practically is no longer, well practical.  My Google Calendar I tend only to enter stuff into, but rarely look at.  My “date envelope” is on my desk at home, and really doesn’t do me any good there.  My Outlook calendar is just for work stuff.  I don’t want big brother watching me.

This is not to mention that contact information I have for my friends and family are spread across Palm Desktop, some Notepad documents, Thunderbird Address Book, and Apple Address Book.  That’s some serious fuel to the fire.

I dug up my old Cambridge planner that was given to me as a college graduation gift.  I only wish I could remember who gave it to me.  Looking through it I found a mileage log that I kept for my car.  In 1999, when I bought it, I paid $15 to fill up my tank.  Now it costs close to $48.  Bygones.  Anyhow, it uses this weird UK standard called Filofax, which is a little smaller (and sometimes pricier) than what is considered “standard.”

In looking for Filofax planner refills I found the following DIY planner website.  They have printable templates in most popular planner sizes.  Not the most elegant solution for Filofax planners, but I can make it work.  The site has a bunch of templates, and good ideas for keeping even the most anal retentive pacified.

Making refills with card stock and ink sounds a heck of a lot better than some of these expensive refill packs.

OCD away!

Squeaky and I had a pretty good outing this past weekend at Range Master in Memphis.  I have not been to this particular range since the mid-nineties.  The facility was excellent, and Tom Givens was a great host to us not to mention a world class instructor.

Tom allowed us to sit in on a tactical shotgun class.  I learned a ton, and now have a craving for a new 12 gauge.

Check out her multi-part review of our Range Master experience here.  Part 1,  Part 2

Considering the closer geographic location than my regular range, I may have to start giving Tom more of my business.

I heard about this on the Glenn Beck program this morning.  This is a propaganda piece from Egypt that is being published in order to convince Egyptian women to cover up.

The arabic text reads:

“You won’t be able to stop them, but you can protect yourself. He who created you knows what’s best for you!”

How nice.  I guess Egyptian men cannot help themselves if a woman isn’t wearing a burka, and will just rape without abandon.  Or maybe it’s that women deserve to be raped if they don’t cover themselves completely up?

Either way, this looks like advocacy for rape.

The planet’s “cradle of life” is seemingly still in the stone age.

Squeaky has set a time/date for a Memphis area gun blogger meet-up.  Bloggers and readers are encouraged to come to the East End Grill on Highway 64 on Saturday, July 19th at 2pm.

For more information and updates, check her blog.