Guns, Cars, and Tech

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  • Monday morning quarterbacking

    Saturday afternoon, Casey and I were out running errands. I got on to the main road–a four lane divided by a wide grass median–and saw something odd at the next light. I was about 200 yards away, but it looked like some teenagers were playing Chinese Fire Drill.

    When I got within about 50 yards, I discovered it was two guys wailing on each other. In the middle of the road, in broad daylight. Both had abandoned their vehicles, though one had three freinds with him.

    I got on the shoulder and pulled up within about 20 feet of them. There were probably 10-12 cars stopped behind these guys. I unbuckeled my seatbelt, but then observed behavior from both participants that suggested mutual combat rather than a beatdown.

    At that point I made the decision to not intervene. My inner libertarian told me, “not your fight, no victims here, let em settle it. ”

    I did stick around to the end to make sure nobody was going to get killed, ie no one grabbed a weapon, the freinds didn’t get involved, and no one wound up on the pavement getting his skull bashed in. The whole thing lasted less than a minute, and at the end both guys took off in separate directions. No one was bloody or visibly injured.

    I think I did the right thing, setting up the intervention but not going through with it. What do you think? What would you have done differently?

    Note: I didn’t call the police because I could see other people already on the phone.

  • EDC Flashlights: Fenix PD20 vs Sipik

    Regular readers know that after the first of the year I decided to start carrying a flashlight every day. I asked for suggestions and got quite a few good ones. I ultimately decided on the Fenix PD20 and wrote a review of that light.

    SayUncle linked to that review, and the first comment to that post was a link to a $9 light that the commenter claimed “performed about the same.”

    Well, I had to order one. It came in Friday.

    The verdict? It’s not even close.

    Now, let me go ahead and say that it’s a very good $9 light. I don’t feel ripped off or cheated or anything like that. But, comparing it to the two Fenix lights I have is about like me comparing my 13 year old Jeep Cherokee to a brand new Toyota 4Runner. They might perform the same function, but one does it a whole lot more…elegantly than the other.

    The first thing I noticed was that the crenelated bezel slides up and down to get that spot-to-flood effect anyone who’s ever had a MagLite is used to. Note that it slides, not screws. That means that if you set it to “spot” and then put it in your pocket, it may be on spot, flood, or anywhere in between when you pull it out again. Not only does it slide up and down, but it also twists. The twisting isn’t functional, it’s just a byproduct of the way the bezel is attached.

    Now, I’m not familiar with using those crenelations to get all stabby on someone, but it seems to me that you would want to be able to have them twist the skin of the guy you’ve just pressed your light into.

    It’s also rather large compared to the PD20. That may or may not be a factor to you, but since I have to cram everything in to one pocket (when I pocket carry my PF9) that’s a major thing for me.

    The big thing, of course, is the light output. Again, it’s very good for a $9 light. It vastly out performs the $5 LED light we used to use, but when put up against the PD20 its just…disappointing. In “flood” mode the coverage area isn’t any better than the PD20 (note: the PD20 does not have an adjustable beam) and in “spot” mode….well it gets a little weird there.

    The beam turns from round to square. Let me show you what I mean:

    See what I mean? It’s wierd. It’s also not nearly as bright:

    Bottom line: The Sipik is an okay light, and well worth the money. The PD20 is much better and priced accordingly.

    More pictures after the jump.
    (more…)

  • Breaking

    Tennessee Attorney General says that the parking lot bill is unconstitutional. Happened in a committee meeting a little bit ago. More later.

    ETA: I misheard

  • .22 selection

    So… I currently have a hole in my collection.  Namely, I don’t presently own a .22 semi-auto pistol.  I have plenty of .22 rifles and a neat little Heritage arms .22 SA revolver, but I’ve been without a pistol since I traded the Walther P22 back to WizardPC for his WASR.  I could buy that back, since he’s still trying to sell it.  While that would make an already funny story (which I might recount at some point here), it’s not really what I want.

    I think I’ve narrowed it down to a couple.  I’m looking at either a Ruger mark III or a Beretta Neos.  I know the Ruger is kind of the industry benchmark, and has been for quite a while.  I don’t think I’ll get the 22/45, since I really like the way the standard grip feels over the 22/45’s.  Of course, if I choose the Ruger, there’s then the seemingly unending configurations to choose from.

    The other is the Neos.  Which I think I’m looking at mostly because I think it looks cool.  I know others think it’s ugly, but I kind of like the raygun look.  From what I’ve read, it looks like it’s dependable and accurate.  Of course, I would be surprised if it wasn’t and Beretta decided to stamp their name on it anyways.  I’d probably go with the 6″ barrel.

    Anybody have any thoughts or suggestions?  Is there another plinking .22 I should think about?

    By the way, I’ve been told that I have to wait until National Buy A Gun Day for this specific purchase, so that’s when I’ll make the decision.

  • My new favorite pants

    Tactical pants. Who doesn’t love them?

    True story: When I was checking in to the hotel at the LuckyGunner Blogger Shoot last year, I picked out Fill Yer Hands within about three seconds as being “one of us.” Sean walked in a couple minutes later, and he got pegged, too. It was easy: Both were wearing 5.11 tactical pants of one flavor or another.

    Now, I love me some 5.11 Tactical. I have two pair of their Covert Khakis and two of their Casual Belts. I think, though, that “tactical pants” that look like something operators who operate in operations would wear are becoming the new “Shoot Me First Vests.” Bob Owens had some really good thoughts on this last year, and I suggest you go read that post.

    Anyway, my point is I really like pants with lots of pockets that look more like traditional pants than military gear. Pockets-in-pockets, hidden pockets, waterprrof, oil resistant….stuff like that is really cool. I’d like to be able to wear them at the office, which is why most gunnie pants won’t work for me but the Covert Khakis did.

    Back in January I was out at Bass Pro Shops looking for some cold weather clothing to make my walks with Casey a little more comfortable and I came across some Columbia Men’s ROC Pants. I love these pants. Very durable, but nice looking. The right side has a front zippered pocket a la the Covert Khakis and my PF9 fits right in there. Good for deep concealment.

    Two weeks later, I went back and bought three more pair. This from a guy who usually buys clothes every other year.

    I will tell you that from a dress code standpoint, these are probably more suited to the khakis-and-a-polo setting than khakis-and-a-button-up setting. In January, I was working in the former. Three weeks later, I got a job that is the latter. 🙁

    I only wear them on the weekends now, but they are pretty much the only pants I wear when not at work. They’re awesome.

    I think even the pantsless one might like these.

  • EDC fixed blades

    A little while ago, I was chatting on IRC with a few folks about knives.  A couple of them told me that they prefer carrying fixed blades.  I’ve been puzzling over that for a while.  I still don’t get it.

    I’ve generally had the impression that most folks in “polite society” disapprove of folks having larger fixed blades attached to their sides.  Sure, go camping, spend a good bit of your time in the woods, etc and you’ve got to go for the right tool for the job, but you’ll get strange looks walking down main street with a Kabar hanging off your hip.  This mean that you’re pretty much looking at smaller blades that can slip into your pocket.

    Since I’m a fan of knives, I decided to pick one of these little blades up from Academy the other day.  They didn’t have a great selection, but I was able to pick up a Buck Smidgen.  I will quickly admit that it’s not the finest example out there.  The one that I picked up desperately needed sharpening, and I know people aren’t particularly impressed with 420HC stainless steel when it comes to keeping an edge, but this was more of an experiment in carrying a fixed blade than this particular knife.

    I still don’t get it.

    Here’s a a couple pictures to explain why:

    The comparison knife is my Syperco Endura, which is my largest EDC knife.  As you can see, you’re looking at about the same length with the Endura closed and the Smidgen sheathed.  When deployed, the Smidgen’s overall length isn’t much longer that the Enduras blade!  Yes, the Spyderco is thicker and wider, but it’s the length that is at the limit for reasonable EDC for me.

    I know some say that it’s easier/faster to deploy a fixed blade in a self defense situation, but I’m not convinced given that any fixed blade would have to have a retention system of some sort to be dealt with.  I’m also of the mind set that if I can’t deploy my Spyderco in time, I’m probably not going to be able to reach for anything in time and am better off hand to hand, but that’s another hive of bees to be poked.

    There’s also the argument that fixed blades are inherently stronger designs than folders.  That’s true, but I’ve never had a good quality lock blade fail on me.  I did have a $1.50 bargain-bin knife fail on me, but it was a complete piece of junk with a price to match.

    So what am I missing?  If I had chosen a different a different small fixed blade, would I have had an aha moment?  Am I blindly looking over something?  Please let me know.  I always love having a new excuse to buy something sharp and pointy.

    *edit: Just noticed that something ate part of this post.  It very well may have been me, but I can’t remember what it was.  Be assured that whatever it was, it was brilliant.  Deleted the couple words that made it obvious that I was going to say something else.*

  • Is it just me?

    Or did brass cased 5.56 prices skyrocket in the last month? I swear 1000rds of SS109 was $300 shipped. Now it’s more like $380.

    Hard to budget when that happens.

  • Clearly, the answer is more government regulation

    The geniuses that run my city banned parking on the street several years ago*. People adapted in completely predictable ways and started parking in their yards.

    Obviously, that means we need to ban people from parking in their own yards.

    I’m sure that in a few years they’ll limit the size of driveways, and when that doesn’t work they’ll just say you can’t have more than 4 people with driver licenses living under the same roof. I’m not sure why they don’t just come out and say “We really don’t like all these hispanic folk renting houses here,” since the folks who lived here when the first ordinance passed said that was the motivation.

    *You can tell which houses were built after this ordinance by their gigantic driveways. My 1800 sq ft house has a driveway that fits 8 cars, plus the two for the garage.

  • Overheard in the car last night

    Naienko (the g/f): I was having issues typing today.  The “t” key was acting up.

    me: I would say it’s shifty, but that’s a different key entirely.

    Nai: It’s a good thing you’re driving right now.

    me: Of course, you have to be careful with the capitol T, it’s shift+t.

    Nai: I’m going to stab you in your sleep…

  • I am sick of hearing this

    On March 6th, opponents of TN SB2992 (and SB3002) were given an hour before the Senate Commerce Committee to explain why they should not be prohibited from discriminating against gun owners when making hiring and firing decisions. You can view the testimony here.

    And yes, I do mean discriminate. The bill prohibits employers from firing you if they find out you are a gun owner. It is a companion bill to SB3002, which is more commonly known as the parking lot bill, so both bills were addressed in the testimony.

    There were several folks that testified, and they all made the same general claims that allowing employees who have carry permits to lock their guns in their cars is a safety hazard.

    There were three company security reps (Fedex, Volkswagen, and a Knoxville Hospital*) who made the same statement at one point or another:

    “I am personally responsible for the [safety/security] of every [employee/customer/visitor] that comes to this facility.”

    I heard this same thing from the Metro Parks Director during the park carry debate. It was bullshit then, and it’s bullshit now.

    My suggested follow up when someone uses a statement like that as an argument for disarmament is: “Really? So if I’m murdered in your establishment, what happens to you, personally? If you’re responsible for my safety, what are the consequences for failure?”

    I doubt that there are any consequences at all.

    When questioned by committee members, none of the witnesses would accept responsibility for the personal safety of employees going to and from work–which is proper. Putting employees in danger while commuting is not.

    I have proposed to a sponsor of the House version, tongue mostly in cheek, that a compromise can be reached with a relatively simple amendment:
    You want to claim to be responsible for my welfare? Fine. Companies may prohibit people visiting their facilities from carrying firearms, but if any person is a victim of a violent crime from the time they leave their home until the time they return, the person who is “personally responsible” for the safety and security of visitors shall be charged as an accessory and receive the same sentence as the perpetrators.

    Now, for some ridiculous statements heard during testimony (from memory, may not be exact):

    “Employees have plenty of places where they can drop off their guns on the way to work.” Really? I’ve never heard of such places, except my home.

    When asked if employers could ban Bibles from employees’ vehicles: “Well, there are laws saying we can’t do that.” Sen. Faulk eventually came back with something along the lines of “isn’t this just another one of those kind of laws?” Except Fedex. That guy said it was totally ok to ban discussion of religion at Fedex facilities.

    There was a guy from MAPCO who testified, but after he announced that I couldn’t stop laughing. At least three MAPCO gas stations get robbed every week in the Nashville area. Sometimes it’s the same gas station, they just rob it three times. I’m sure he knows a lot about keeping his employees safe.

    *The anecdotal evidence the hospital administrator gave was one incident where a non-employee who was also a suicidal prohibited person walked right past an armed security guard and killed a doctor, and another where a teacher was fired and went to his car to get a handgun that he had been storing there–a serious felony. It’s unclear how this law would have affected those incidents.