Author: wizardpc

Springfield Loaded Operator 1911

Click to embiggen.

Note that the dust cover extends the length of the slide. And its a railfarm. Via reader Tac.

A longtime friend and former roommate recently bought a house, and the wife and I decided to buy him a shotgun as a housewarming present. Knowing he wasn’t a gunnie, I had planned on something unscary like a double barrel 20 gauge. Not knowing if he would actually accept it, I told him of our plan–lest I end up with a 20ga side by side sitting in the safe for eternity.

His reaction: “No, you’re buying me a handgun.” Deal!

I took him to a couple of gun shows so he could handle some pistols and get a feel for what was comfortable in his hands. I took him to the range to try out a Bersa .380 when he decided he really liked the way a Walther PPK felt. Turns out that in Double Action mode, his trigger finger can barely reach the trigger on that style gun. Back to the drawing board, but now he had a good idea of what shooting a handgun feels like and what to look for when trying to find a new model. He put about 150 rounds total through 5 or 6 different pistols that day and thoroughly enjoyed it.

At the next gun show, we bought him a Kahr E9. The E9 is basically a K9 with plastic adjustable sites and plastic grips. The next day we went to the range and he got to shoot his gun for the first time:

I was very pleased with his performance since this was only the second time in his life he’d shot a handgun. He shot “minute of bad guy” at what I call front-porch distance (3yds) with a compact 9. I gave him some instruction on sight picture and grip, and showed him how to feel for the trigger reset in between shots. I also explained to him the need to get a sight picture after every shot and the importance of follow through.

After 150 rounds through his own gun that day, he’s hooked. He went home and bought two spare magazines online. He went back to the range the next weekend and shot another 150 rounds or so and came back to my house where I showed him how to field strip and clean his gun. This weekend he’s going back to the range again, this time without me.

He’s already talking about getting a carry permit and wants to observe some matches. He made a comment about buying a .22 so he could get more trigger time and I had to tell him to slow down. My advice was to buy a thousand rounds of 9mm and then see how long it takes to go through that. If it takes a year, there’s probably no need to buy a .22 trainer. If it takes 3 months, it might be a good idea.

Later, he told me that when we were roommates he was really nervous that there were guns in the house. Now, he wants a carry permit. I love it.

Oh, added bonus: Last weekend a friend from the TFA was there practicing for a match at Knob Creek. So Drew got to shoot a machine gun on his second trip to the range:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V-Wx8BKQL8&w=420&h=345]

Like the man says, this is why we win. The anti’s can’t go to the anti-gun range or the anti-gun show. Our stuff is a lot more fun, too.

In every state where Restaurant Carry has been proposed, opponents have screamed this would happen:

Patron arrested after putting gun to waiter’s head

The argument is that even though it is illegal to drink while carrying, waiters would be forced at gunpoint to serve alcohol to permit holders. Well, it looks like it only took two years for that to happen in Tennessee.

Oh, except the guy wasn’t drinking. Or eating. Or a customer at all. And he didn’t have a permit. And isn’t legally allowed to have a handgun in the first place. And this didn’t happen inside a restaurant.

So, other than that, this is a perfect example!

In a lot of states, there is a provision in the concealed carry law that allows property owners to prohibit legal concealed carry on premises. The gunny term for this is a Posted Property. Sometimes we just say “that place is posted.”

Here in Tennessee, TCA 39-17-1359 is what governs us.

It’s a bit chatty, but basically it says that if there is a “Circle-slash” graphic, or a text sign that says “AS AUTHORIZED BY T.C.A. § 39-17-1359, POSSESSION OF A WEAPON ON POSTED PROPERTY OR IN A POSTED BUILDING IS PROHIBITED AND IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE,” then you can be charged with a crime*. If you, as a carry permit holder, are caught carrying in one of these places, it’s a Class B Misdemeanor. The punishment? A $500 fine, and a Class B Misdemeanor on your record for the rest of your life. The fine is nothing, but having to answer “Yes” on those employment questionnaires that ask if you’ve ever been convicted of a crime will cost you a lot more in lost wages. This is why I don’t ignore these signs.

You may noticed that I threw the “if you are a carry permit holder” qualifier in there. The reason for that is if you are caught carrying a firearm in a place that is open to the public (like a business), and you don’t have a carry permit, that’s an entirely different offense. It’s also why we have carry permits in the first place, to exempt us from that law. In Tennessee, that law is TCA 39-17-1307. It’s a Class A Misdemeanor, which is just shy of a felony. Unless, of course, you’ve previously been convicted of a felony–in that case you’ve got another Class E Felony on your hands. Now, this law does not specify sentences so that’s up to the judge, but a Class A Misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of up to $2000 and one day short of a year in the county jail.

So let’s say Bob and Jim are both carrying pistols. Bob has a carry permit, Jim does not. Neither has ever been so much as arrested for a crime. They each head to Toys R Us to pick up a Tickle Me Elmo. On the way in, they see the sign that prohibits weapons.

If Bob walks in, his potential marginal cost is walking out with a criminal record and a $500 fine. If he stays outside, nothing happens to him.

If Jim walks in, his potential marginal cost is only the $500 fine. Without the sign, he’d still be facing a criminal record (worse than Bob’s), a $2000 fine, and a year in jail–even if he stays outside.

The obvious question we always ask is, If Jim hasn’t been deterred by the potential of a year in jail and a $2000 fine, why would he be deterred by an additional $500 fine? That would be assuming that he was actually charged with both crimes, which I doubt would happen. The answer, of course, is that he wouldn’t, and only an idiot would believe otherwise. And in this example Jim is not intent on robbing, raping, or murdering anyone, nor has he been to jail before.

Which brings us to the real reason why posting is a complete joke:

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