Times-Tribune Anti-HB40 editorial

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/don_t_promote_gun_violence

An important piece of legislation being considered by the PA senate is creating a wealth of dis-information to be spread by anti-gunners and some media. The overriding theme to their dis-information is that HB40, better known as the Castle Doctrine, will lead to more gun violence and provide legal escape routes for criminals.

HB40 reduces the Pennsylvania citizen’s need to “retreat” in the face of a violent confrontation. It does not completely remove the need to retreat, nor does take away from the need to show intended serious bodily harm before using lethal force. HB40 doesn’t promote a “shoot first, ask questions later,” mentality.

A person involved in a shooting, will still need to prove that they felt in immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm. What the bill does do is support the basic foundation of Law of our country, that a person is “innocent until proven guilty” and puts the burden of proof on law enforcement where it belongs.

The key portion of the Castle Doctrine, which is in my opinion the most important part, is that a person using a firearm in justifiable defense cannot be sued in civil court. I find it ridiculous that if a person legally defends himself in a violent criminal encounter, that he should then be subject to a lawsuit by the perpetrators family for denying said shit-bag his rights.
If my family is subject to a home invasion and I terminate the criminal’s career, I did so because of his negligence, not mine. There is no reason why, after being found justified in using force, I should be found civilly responsible to provide for the criminal’s family.

I truly hope that our State leaders will listen to the masses who have voiced their opinion that the Castle Doctrine should be made law. As citizens of a great and free country, we should not have to retreat from our homes or places of business and we should not have to be held civilly liable for the illegal actions of others.

Pho-Tac.com is going live

As some know, I’ve been volunteering as the team photographer for the York County Quick Response Team for the past several years. Through my contact with the QRT team, I’ve been published in SWAT Digest (including an article about the York team) and have been in contact with several other publications, agencies and businesses that are related in some way to the “tactical” world.
With a bit of encouragement from George Matheis of Modern Combative Systems, I’m developing a web based business for photography and multi-media production. My goal is for Pho-Tac become the name in tactical photography production.
Once completely up and running, the Pho-Tac site will host information about my photography services for training, and documenting police involved incidents. Stock photography will be available through the site with a corresponding search function via PhotoShelter where prints can be purchased and images can be licensed. I’m also going to start producing “tactical” photographic art prints which will be available through the site.

The S.O.Tech Camera Insert

My buddy and training partner George, of Modern Combative Systems, hooked me up to test drive the new S.O.Tech Camera Insert for their high end Mission Pack line of packs. Officially designated as “Padded Camera/Surveillance Insert (MSP-CMRA)” The bag is designed to be used in conjunction with the Mission Pack but can be used as a stand-alone bag to transport photo gear.

I just started using the bag so this isn’t a full blown review, just some initial impressions.

While the bag is intended to be used with the Mission Bag, it’s perfectly good as a stand alone camera bag for hauling a good bit of gear. Like all SoTech bags, the photo bag is overbuilt with heavy duty zippers and big zipper pulls. It has two webstrap handles, one on the top (which I promptly wrapped with para cord) and one on the side. It also features a velcro loop for holding a tripod. 

The bag has two compartments, the main, large padded compartment with adjustable/removable dividers for your camera gear and a smaller padded pouch on the front to hold a laptop computer or other odds and ends. My Dell 13″ fits in here with room to spare, should be able to get a 15″ in with no problems. Inside the lid on the main compartment is spots for holding compact flash cards and other stuff.

The bag does feature two backpack straps on it, but these are not very heavy duty and while ok transporting the bag to and from the car, I wouldn’t take a long walk with the bag filled with gear on these straps. After the holidays I’m going to order a Mission Bag and really give the SoTech a workout.

The York County QRT website

I’ve been the “team photographer” for the York County Quick Response Team for a few years and was tasked with building a website that would represent the team to the public.
This was no easy task for my as I had no idea how to build a website. A quick trip to Ollies and $7 later, I sat down at the computer, opened the Adobe GoLive CS program and started paging through “Building Websites for Dummies.”

After a couple months of banging keys, cursing and threatening to throw the old Mac out the window, I finally made the York County QRT website live Monday morning.

http://www.yorkcountyqrt.com/

Class review, Modern Combative Systems SAS/IET

Modern Combative Systems
Spontaneous Attack Survival and Inverted Edge Tactics
November 7-8, 2009

A few months ago I joined George for a abbreviated, one-day version of his SAS/IET course. It was the first tactics class of any kind that I had taken and was a real eye opener. Like many men, I had carried a folding knife since I was a teen, but even with all the martial arts experience I gained, I never considered the folder as a primary defensive weapon.

While the one-day SAS/IET class gave me a basic skill set for open hand and edge weapon defenses, the full two day course unleashed the full potential for not only the primary defensive folding knife, but the use of improvised self-defense weapons such as pens, kubutons and other striking implements.

Saturday morning started out with a brief lecture on the use of force and combative fundamentals. I must point out that these two subjects are the basis of every MCS class I’ve taken so far. While it’s important to know how to defend yourself, it’s equally or even more important to understand why and when you should do so. Not all situations call for lethal force and George stresses situational awareness and avoidance.

I don’t know how many times I’ve read a post on a gun board that said something like “I’d just shoot them,” but that attitude is so far from reality it’s unfathomable. Not only is that kind of attitude immoral, but could lead to the loss of a person’s right to defend themselves at the very least and, quite possibly, a very lengthy jail sentence. A perfect example is a story told by one of our fellow classmates, who has been to several MCS classes. He described a recent situation where he was approached on the street by someone who could be taken as a possible threat. Our classmate issued a verbal command for the subject to continue on his way and when he didn’t, our classmate used a “panic push” technique to create space between himself and the threat. No shots were fired, no one died, no one was really injured, but the quick action by our classmate inspired the subject to leave his criminal ideas behind and accelerate out of the area. After telling the subject to leave him alone, our classmate could very well argued the point that the subject, by continuing to approach him, posed a reasonable threat and he (the good guy) felt at jeopardy. But the subject didn’t actually threaten our classmate so lethal force wasn’t an option. After using the panic push, had the subject continued as a threat, our classmate would very well have been in a situation where escalated force would have been necessary.

While all the hands-on training is fun and practical, the information shared by George on the “why’s and when’s” is worth the cost of the class itself.

It’s obvious, while listening to George’s lectures on the use of force and combative fundamentals, that the MCS isn’t some off-the-cuff idea. George has done an incredible amount of research and points out facts that should be obvious, but when overlooked, could mean the difference in surviving a violent attack. The idea that 93% of people are right handed and that a right handed person usually steps back with their right foot during a preparatory movement (as in to draw a weapon) is a key to realizing an attack is forthcoming and gives the defender the chance to react before the attack actually happens. Lots of instructors teach their way of drawing the gun, striking with hands and feet or making a cut with a blade, but George is the first instructor that ever taught me how to recognize an impending violent situation. This includes the several martial arts instructors I’ve had over the years. They all teach what to do when attacked, but at that point, the defender is behind the eight-ball so to speak.

Saturday afternoon found our group going hands-on, learning how to avoid being punched or stabbed and open hand responses to such threats. One thing that George continually stresses is the idea that spontaneous attack survival is really just a bridge or a transition depending on the situation. If you’re in a bar and a drunk takes a swing at you, SAS is a bridge that allow the defender space to retreat or diffuse the situation. If the defender is being mugged at knife-point in a parking lot, SAS is a transition from an open-hand defense to an edged weapon or firearm. It doesn’t matter how fast a person can get their firearm clear of leather and put rounds on a target, at arms-length distances a perp with a knife is going to cut you before you can draw and fire. Being able to advert such an attack is much more important than what firearm you are carrying, what score you shoot during an IPSC match or how much money you spent on a custom knife.

Sunday’s class started out with a brief history of how the MCS inverted edge technique came into existence. George doesn’t lay claim to inventing the technique but he has certainly perfected it and, more importantly, inverted edge knife tactics are the perfect complement to spontaneous attack survival. The most important thing to know about the MCS system is that no matter what the weapon, open hand, a striking implement, edged weapon or firearm, the same basic techniques are used. When the preverbal KaKa hits the fan a human fails back on the basic fight or flight stimulus. One thing that happens in fright is that our hands move from our waist to our chest, into almost a fetal position, and that movement is the building block of everything George teaches. Unlike other schools and instructors that teach a unique technique for every form of attack, the same basic movement is used in all of the MCS tactics so that the defender can easily bridge or transition depending on the severity of the circumstances.

Since it was such a nice day, George moved the class outside and we paired up and began running through different scenarios. We started defending against the attack with open hand, then moved on to deploying the folding knife. Since I spend a lot of time in schools and other “weapon free” victim zones because of my job, I have taken to carrying a Surefire flashlight and a stainless steel pen everywhere I go. After working with the folder for a time, I switched to using a plain old Zebra 701 pen as my primary defensive tool. Gripping the pen, or flashlight, in the same hammer-fist grip we used to employ a knife in IET, I was able to use the pen or flashlight as a very practical striking implement. Others in the class also experimented using some of the new “non-weapon” items available on the market. I quickly realized that almost any object, from a pencil to hairbrush could be used as a defensive tool using the exact same techniques that George taught us with the inverted knife.

The day culminated with a “knife into the fight” drill where the defender has to avoid or mitigate an attack, deploy his folding knife, and make at least one show-ending cut. This isn’t as easy as it sounds as the drill starts with a 30 second long cardio workout with the attacker starting to pummel the defender during the last 10 seconds. George decided to be the attacker during this class and needless to say, the MCS alumni were getting some strong shots to the head before we could deploy and defend. I lost control of my folder during George’s onslaught and had to quickly revert to SAS techniques after George kicked my training knife across the floor. I took a couple good hits to the head but was able to quickly get outside his attack and direct his body in the direction of the edge of an open door. Had this been a real defensive situation, I could possibly have been seriously hurt, but the idea of panic pushing the attacker into the edge of an extremely hard, non-movable object brings a smile to my face.

Overall, I cannot stress enough how easy and practical the Modern Combative System is. The techniques don’t rely on strength or size, a child could just as easily use SAS techniques as a Delta Force trained operator and I am starting to teach all three of my children the basic open-hand defensive techniques. The world is not getting any safer and I strongly recommend everyone to take the MCS Spontaneous Attack Survival class at the very least.

York Dispatch runs article on LTCF’s in York County

After several months, the article on York’s LTCF numbers finally ran today. When this story was first being planned, the reporter and I talked about doing a behind-the-scenes piece on people (like me) who carry a concealed weapon. Unfortunately, a series of events, including conflicting information from the PA State Police and the York County Sheriff’s Department, and ending with the reporters untimely move to Boston, kept us from doing the story as planned. Pile on the fact that several of the “gun enthusiasts” that I had lined up for the reporter to talk to ended up not wanting to give their names or going off on tangents about Obama’s quest to confiscate guns limited our quotable information.
Our new reporter did a fine job of reporting the facts and given that she was handed a mess, I think it turned out good. I truly like the fact that I’ve gotten a photo involving a firearm on A1 three times in the past three months and all were for positive stories.

A week of violence leads to York Daily Record editorial

“The headlines last week were filled with news of gun violence.— Kwilson Coleman, accused of gunning down Gregory Wright in the 400 block of Prospect Street in York last Thanksgiving, was found guilty of first-degree murder.

Coleman, 18, was accused of shooting Wright after a confrontation about an alleged stolen cell phone. Wright had confronted a friend of Coleman’s about the alleged theft, and the shooting occurred after Wright pistol-whipped the man, according to testimony.

— Shannon Leroy Mayo Sr., 54, of the 500 block of South George Street, was charged with criminal homicide, accused of shooting and killing Donnell McIntyre outside his home Tuesday morning. Mayo claimed it was a case of self-defense as McIntyre tried to rob him. Police said the multiple shots fired and other circumstances led them to believe otherwise.

— John Houseman Jr., 45, of Red Lion was found shot in his car on East Boundary Avenue on Tuesday evening and later died at York Hospital. Police had not made an arrest in the case.

If all that violence makes you want to get a gun to protect yourself, you might think twice about that.

Thursday’s paper carried the story about the murder of a Lebanon woman who made national headlines last year for wearing a pistol on her hip at her daughter’s soccer game. She caused a stir by wearing a gun for protection at the youth soccer game, and her permit was revoked by the county sheriff, prompting a lawsuit and a lot of debate about Second Amendment rights.

Meleanie Hain was found dead in her home Wednesday evening, an apparent victim of a murder-suicide by her husband, a parole officer and former prison guard.

It’s a tragic story — especially since the couple’s young children were reportedly home during the incident.

And it suggests that guns are usually not the protection people hope they will be.

In far too many cases, people are shot by their own weapons — either accidentally or during domestic disputes or even as they are being robbed. Worse, children are too often able to get their hands on loaded weapons with tragic results.

And all this local gun violence comes in the wake of a new study released by a University of Pennsylvania professor that found people in possession of a gun were 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those not possessing a gun.

“This study helps resolve the long-standing debate about whether guns are protective or perilous,” said study author Charles C. Branas, associate professor of epidemiology. “Will possessing a firearm always safeguard against harm or will it promote a false sense of security?”

Probably the latter.

That’s not to say that people don’t have Second Amendment rights or shouldn’t be allowed to carry concealed weapons.

But if you do have guns, you should have the proper training to use them — particularly in stressful, threatening situations. More importantly, guns should always be locked up safely away from children.

And don’t fool yourself into believing that because you’re carrying a weapon, you’re invulnerable to criminals — or even your own friends or family members.

You’re not.

If this study is accurate, you are, statistically speaking, more at risk.”

York Daily Record link

Last week was a tragic week for the Hain family and the many people who knew them.  A man who was to be the protector, the husband, lover, father, shot and killed his wife because she had asked for a divorce. This story is tragic enough because domestic violence is so rampant in our society, but what makes it worse is that some people believe that Meleanie somehow brought this ending on herself or deserved a brutal death because she was a gun-rights activist.

We all know about Meleanie, the “gun toting soccer mom” as the media portrayed her, SHEFEARSNOTHING to those of us who were privileged with knowing her via the Pennsylvania Firearms Owners Association (PAFOA). Meleanie believed in her Second Amendment rights enough to go to court to defend those rights and become the focus of ridicule by not only the media, but of the anti-gun movement.

Now, in death, she is mourned by her friends and family, and even more ridiculed by people who have been quick to use her story as propaganda. In the first days following Meleanie’s death, many comments were posted on news websites by readers that believe she deserved to be shot just because she was a gun owner, some even celebrated her death. It disgusts me to no end.

Meleanie carried a gun to protect her family. None of us would ever expect that the biggest threat to our lives would come from within. Regardless of the fact that there were marital problems, I’m sure Meleanie didn’t fathom that her husband would ambush and kill her.

The main-stream media and anti-gun groups love to use statistics.

“people in possession of a gun were 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those not possessing a gun.”
Aside from the fact that groups like the Brady Bunch intentionally misrepresent statistics, what they never point out is that guns are used by law-abiding citizens every day, to the tune of 2.5 million times a year, to deter crime. In 2006 there were 30,896 firearm related deaths. Out of that number 16,883 were suicides, I don’t count them a firearm related deaths because those people would have just found another way to end it.

We have 70-80 million firearm owners in this country with 14,013 dying from firearms other than suicides. If my math is right, that equals about 2 % of gun owners. By comparison, there are 62 mil vehicles in the US . There were 42,642 vehicle related fatalities (2006), that’s 6.85 % meaning you are three times more likely to die in or by your car then your gun.

Of course, many of the people killed by firearms each year aren’t gun owners (and many of them aren’t innocent) so the percentage is even lower, that’s why I don’t buy the 4-5 times more likely statistic. What I do know, from professionals I train with and people I meet who have been involved in a violent encounter, is that if you are unarmed or unwilling to defend yourself, your life has only the value your attacker desires. Either way you end up a statistic, I personally would rather be a live one.

RIP Meleanie.

At least one media outlet gets it

Contained in the NRA Freedom Times Issue No. 8 was a few interesting tidbits.

First off, BRAVO to the Washington Times for exposing MSNBC and other outlets agenda driven reporting concerning armed civilians near President Obama’s events. In an obvious case of sensationalizing the news and pushing their own anti-gun agenda, MSNBC has linked citizens expressing their Second Amendment rights to being racist threats to Obama.

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Many media outlets have misfired about guns. Countless newspapers and television networks — from CBS to MSNBC — have misreported that conservative protesters are threatening President Obama with guns at public events. It hasn’t happened.

In Portsmouth, N.H., a man carrying a gun, William Kostric, joined an Aug. 11 health care protest. This was blocks away and hours before Mr. Obama’s town-hall meeting in that city. Mr. Kostric was given permission to be on church property where the protest occurred and was not at the place the president visited. What most of the coverage left out was that Mr. Kostric didn’t carry his gun only for the protest; he legally carries a gun with him all the time for protection.

While the media regularly used terms such as “hotheads” to mischaracterize the situation, the coverage ignored that union members who opposed the protest had attacked Mr. Kostric and a friend, kicking, pushing and spitting on them. Despite violence against him by Mr. Obama’s supporters, Mr. Kostric did not draw his gun or threaten anyone.

On the CBS Evening News, Katie Couric asked, “Are we really still debating health care when a man brings a handgun to a church where the president is speaking?” Deliberately or not, she got the facts wrong. As we know, Mr. Kostric did bring a gun to the church, but the president was not there and never was scheduled to speak there. Mr. Obama spoke at a separate event at a local high school at a different time. Not letting facts get in the way of her hysterical story line, Ms. Couric linked Mr. Kostric’s gun to “fear and frankly ignorance drown[ing] out the serious debate that needs to take place about an issue that affects the lives of millions of people.”

link to article

In other news, a report on the SCOTUS Blog, an Illinois family is asking that a lawsuit against a gun manufacturer be reopened and the Supreme Court to strike down a federal shield law.

excerpts from the report:

The 2005 law – titled the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act — was controversial when passed, and has been attacked repeatedly since then in court.  The challengers have argued variously that Congress either had no power to wipe out already-filed lawsuits against gun makers, or that it went too far in doing so. So far, the Supreme Court has not been willing to get into the controversy, and the first issue facing the new lawsuit is whether it is sufficiently different that it can not only draw the Justices’ interest, but also overcome likely resistance from the federal government.

The tragedy that led to the Adames lawsuit in Illinois occurred eight years ago, when 13-year-old Billy Swan aimed and fired a Beretta pistol at a friend who had come over to play, Joshua Adames, who also was 13. The gun belonged to Billy’s dad, a Cook County sheriff’s deputy. Billy had taken out the gun’s clip before aiming it, believing that would make it harmless. A bullet that had remained in the gun’s chamber killed Joshua.

Billy’s parents sued Beretta, among others, contending that the gun manufacturer failed to warn users of this kind of pistol that removal of the magazine did not make it safe.  Without a cheap device to prevent just such accidents, and without a specific warning about the hazard, the pistol was too dangerous, the lawsuit contended. (There were other claims, but that one is the center of the case now.)

While the death of a 13 year old boy is tragic, Beretta is not responsible for it in any way. Without getting into all the reasons why a magazine safety shouldn’t used on a defensive handgun, the fact of the matter is that Billy’s parents didn’t teach their son the first rule of handling firearms. TREAT EVERY GUN LIKE IT’S LOADED AND DON’T POINT IT AT ANYTHING YOU DON’T WANT TO DESTROY.

How about suing Billy Swain’s parents for absolute stupidity.

Gun Facts We Need to Remember

A good friend of mine out in Colorado sent me this email today which I thought would be perfect to share here.  I haven’t checked all the numbers but everything seems to be accurate and it doesn’t show up on Snopes.

A LITTLE GUN HISTORY…….

Most importantly note the difference between Australia and  Switzerland at the bottom of this.

In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.—–

In 1911, Turkey established gun control.  From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.—-

Germany established gun control in 1938 From 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and
exterminated.—–

China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to  defend themselves, were rounded up  and exterminated—–

Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.—-

Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend  themselves, were rounded  up and exterminated.—-

Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated  people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.—-
Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million.—–

It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their  own Government, a program costing Australia   taxpayers more than $500  million dollars. The first year results are now in:

1:   Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent.

2:   Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent..

3:   Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)

In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up  300 percent. Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess their guns! While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past  12 months, since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed.

There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the ELDERLY. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort, and expense was expended  in successfully ridding Australian society of guns.

The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it. You won’t see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information. Guns in the hands of honest citizens save  lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws adversely affect only the  law-abiding citizens. Take note my fellow Americans,  before it’s too late!  The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, please remind them of  this history lesson. With guns, we are ‘citizens’.  Without them, we’re ’subjects’.

During WWII the Japanese decided not to invade America because they  knew most Americans were ARMED! If you value your freedom, please spread  this anti-gun control message to all of  your friends. The purpose of  fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is  supplemental.

SWITZERLAND ISSUES EVERY HOUSEHOLD A GUN!

SWITZERLAND ‘S GOVERNMENT TRAINS EVERY ADULT THEY ISSUE A RIFLE.

SWITZERLAND HAS THE LOWEST GUN RELATED CRIME RATE OF ANY CIVILIZED COUNTRY  IN THE WORLD!!! IT’S A NO BRAINER! DON’T LET OUR GOVERNMENT WASTE MILLIONS  OF OUR TAX DOLLARS IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE ALL LAW ABIDING CITIZENS
AN EASY TARGET.

MSNBC trying to tie gun owners to being racist

In yet another failed attempt to push their own agenda, an MSNBC report from another Obama health care reform rally shows a close-up of a man carrying a AR-15 rifle slung over his shoulder. As the commentators (they really aren’t reporters anymore) ramble on about “racial overtones” because we have a “man of color in the presidency” they are showing a clip of the armed man, but conveniently crop the footage so that you can’t see that the man is black.

edited to add photo of the gun-toter.