A reader I haven’t met became a Rifleman on Sunday and credits my essay with finding out about Appleseed. Hearing the news truly made my week!
Though working on a few candidates at home they’ve yet to attend an Appleseed. But, America’s latest Rifleman, Mark Hudson, went a step further and managed the feat of documenting his training while mastering it. I hope it’s not too long before Mark receives word that the next Rifleman found Appleseed through his article (Which contains excellent checklists and pictures to inspire and assist in preparing for the event)!
Of course, not everyone writes. Just telling folks what you’ve been up to is enough. Those inclined to listen pay more attention to actions than words, anyway; something Appleseed founder Fred knew from the start, no doubt.
All week I’ve been thinking about the popular notion that everyone on the planet is only six degrees of separation away from each other. I think it’s only two degrees for Rifleman. After posting on a favorite forum about Mark’s success one of the Appleseed instructors who worked with Mark, last weekend, actually saw and commented on the post!
To Those Who Have Ears
There’s no way around the looks you’ll get when recommending Rifle training over another trip to Disneyland. Guns are provocative by nature like a beautiful woman. Speaking of which, my wife was concerned watching me gear up for Appleseed. It was fun to return home and burst her bubble with pictures of families, father-daughter teams and boyscouts right along side the warriors she was expecting.
It wasn’t long after that Isabel was dropping hints that she’d be willing to learn if she had her own rifle (Of course!). So, I bought her the one she picked to go with her outfits, in black & silver.
[Photo taken just after Isabel’s promise to attend the next Appleseed with her husband. She is holding the bribe it took to extract that promise.
What a natural and relaxed stance for a gal who’s never picked up a rifle. Now, if that elbow was vertical under the stock and . . .]
Isabel says she always wanted to learn to shoot and my enthusiasm made her speak up. Make that zero degrees of separation in the Gillespie household.
I planned to make this a longer article by mapping out ways to overcome common objections to the innumerable benefits of Rifle training. However, I’m learning from experience that it’s best to save words for those who have ears:
If you don’t see the Liberty aspects of the training then go to learn about your Heritage.
If you don’t care about the Heritage aspects then go for the Marksmanship.
if you don’t care about the marksmanship aspects then go for Precision.
If you don’t care about precision then go to spend time with family members that do.
If you don’t think they need the company then go to meet quality people who are passionate about any one of the above.
If none of these things motivate you then volunteer to babysit for someone who does. . .
Which brings me to something else I learned from Mark that will serve to keep future articles more brief and to the point. As with so much worldly wisdom the Greeks said it first in Latin, “Verbum sat sapienti” or
“A word is sufficient to a wise man”.
After reading some of Mark Hudson’s views on Life, God and Family I think we get a rare glimpse of one, below.
Family oriented expert rifle training? Yes, happening at a range near you thanks to the Appleseed Project. You don’t have to go to Switzerland, anymore, to find whole families at the rifle range!
This is expert marksmanship being taught by enthusiastic riflemen who know what they’re doing. You won’t be awarded your Rifleman Patch until you’ve earned it. And what it takes and the word “Easy” don’t belong in the same sentence.
According to Fred, the man who started the Appleseed Project, “The purpose of the shoot is to promote history and marksmanship, to
provide marksmanship training opportunities, to train people to become
Riflemen and to teach them now to train other Riflemen”.
“April 19th, 1775, When marksmanship met history and the heritage began.”
“Liberty, Heritage, & Marksmanship“
“Are you a Rifleman or a cook? Attend an Appleseed event and discover your heritage.“
Rifleman Introductions
I recommend four articles written about Appleseed by two esteemed Riflemen. Read Bill Buppert’s article about his second Appleseed back in 2008 where he brought the whole family “On The Road With the Appleseed Project: Creating Liberty One Rifleman at a Time”. Bill contributes his expertise through Appleseed to “Wake up the sleeping giant in America”. He kindly recommended first shooting .22LR and setting up my Ruger 10/22 with Tech Sights for which my shoulder and bank account are thankful.
My first Appleseed was in Sacramento, two weeks ago. The full service range is in a breathtaking part of the country. The fresh air and scenery were a perfect backdrop for an inspiring day.
Apart from the welcoming smiles of the volunteer staff the first thing that struck me was that whole families were there for the training! There were also two father daughter teams and three father son teams.
One third of the attendees were women including three rifleman trainers. Perhaps the only thing more impressive about the lovely ladies on the next mat over is that they were outshooting the men! Grrr. . .
The Rifle
I brought a Ruger 10/22 with tech sights and a plain GI sling with six magazines though four would have been fine. See Mas Ayoob’s Guns of Appleseed or Appleseed’s Liberty Training Rifle for tips on setting up your rifle.
Training for Precision
The training starts with the big things first moving in a circle around your shooting position. Every physical and mental factor leading up to the bullet exiting the barrel is covered. The quality of the shot is viewed as a reflection of the quality of the setup, trigger squeeze and follow through.
Every detail counts in an endeavor of precision and the training involves two days of getting every aspect of the setup into your muscles and bones. For the purposes of this article, however, I’ll briefly describe two aspects of the training that I particularly enjoyed: Natural Point of Aim (NPOA) and firing the shot “By the Numbers”.
What follows are this budding Rifleman’s summary of two, of many, aspects of the training. They give a flavor of the training though words are no substitute for the real thing.
Natural Point of Aim
The idea of NPOA is to setup your body around the rifle so that both are in a state of relaxed tension pointing at the target. Once in your NPOA your breath will cause the front sight to rise and fall vertically through the target. Much of the morning is spent learning what it looks and feels like to get into your NPOA in the prone position.
Adding breath control and their six steps of shooting by the numbers lays an excellent foundation for squeezing off consistent shots. The next step is learning to get into your NPOA in standing position and one seated position (Since body types vary you’ll be shown five seating positions to choose from).
Like most endeavors of precision Appleseed’s descriptions and demonstrations are easily described and demonstrated by the experts. However, teaching your body and mind to reliably and consistently setup your NPOA for the three basic positions is not easy and feels anything but natural, at first. This is especially true for the self-taught (Myself included) who need to unlearn bad habits and replace them with correct technique.
The pace of the training is brisk, methodical and complete. There are no shortcuts taken in building a solid Rifleman foundation. Considering the wide variety of people at the training it’s impressive to see everyone focus together to handle the pace and quality of the instruction.
Firing the Shot “By The Numbers”
Here’s another summary that gives a flavor for the training, but, is no substitute for the full descriptions and experience of being guided through each “Number” in real time by experienced Riflemen:
Line up the front and rear sights.
Bring the lined-up sights onto the target.
Take a deep breath in, then out using the rise and fall of the front sight to establish NPOA.
A: Focus your eye on the front sight. B: Focus you mind on keeping the front sight on target.
Take up the slack and squeeze the trigger straight back (While concentrating on the front sight).
When the hammer falls: Keep your eyes open, take a mental photo of the shot (Referred to as ‘Calling the shot’) and hold the trigger back for follow through.
The instructors are enthusiastic and patient with a keen eye for recognizing and correcting your weak areas.
After the first two hours I started wondering where else I could get such quality training at the price? “Nowhere” is the correct answer. Even if you offered to pay a family member’s gas, lunch and ammunition it would cost you more than Appleseed’s two day training for $70! (Women and children are currently free which I’ll be using to pursuade my wife to join me).
Apart from zeroing your rifle I recommend attending the first day of an Appleseed before engaging in intensive practice with your rifle. In fact, have someone else zero your rifle if you trust them to do it. That frees you up to soak in the training and practice the right habits into your bones on every subsequent shooting occasion.
I spent the first half of the day unlearning bad habits. Best to err on the side of coming to an Appleseed before making bad habits permanent.
Master A Tool of Tools
Mastering a precision tool bestows benefits beyond the area of the tool, itself. In the case of a Rifle the benefits are profound. What profession or task would not benefit from the discipline and precision required to become a Rifleman?
What about adjusting your sights is not transferable to adjusting a miter saw?
What about establishing your NPOA is not transferable to target marketing?
What about zero’ing a rifle is not transferable to Optimizing workflow?
What about the shooting by the numbers is not transferable to visualizing your goals?
The benefits ricochet (Sorry) to and from all endeavors of precision. Inversely, the discipline and precision of master carpentry, for example, can be parlayed back into many aspects of the Rifleman’s craft, as well. For those who haven’t yet settled on a profession precision rifle training exercises a myriad of mental and physical ‘muscles’ that can be applied to future pursuits, yet unknown.
It’s been said that the 1st and 2nd amendments are the only rights required to guarantee the other eight Bill of Rights and all non-enumerated natural human rights. Apropos to their power learning to speak, write, express, worship and defend is optimally approached with an eye towards precision. It is somehow not enough:
To understand the power of speech, yet speak imprecisely.
To be willing to die for the freedom of worship yet be unspecific in praising God’s glory.
To treasure Life and Family with no proficiency in the only historically proven means of their final defense against tyranny or uninitiated aggression.
It takes time, study, effort and keen interest to acquire mastery of these tools of tools. Yet, it’s worth every effort to acquire them even apart from the daily blessings they bestow.
The Day’s Results
According to Appleseed my maximum effective range is 400 Yards. That means I was able to get three consecutive shots to group within a man sized silhouette at 400 yards. In theory this is one step short of Rifleman, but, it’s not that simple.
The “Red Coat Test” (So named because the targets are red to symbolize the British uniforms in the Revolutionary War) is shot from only one position and is not as strict as the Army Qualification Test (AQT) test given the following day where you shoot in three different positions while being timed.
I spent most of the day soaking in the fundamentals and replacing bad habits. That’s probably par for the course for guys who didn’t have the good fortune of Appleseed-like training when starting to shoot. Also, since I didn’t re-zero the .22 after installing iron sights I failed to realize they needed serious adjustments beyond the settings possible on the sights. Therefore, I spent the day looking at groups still 4 inches off the target. For the last two hours an instructor (Thank you, Pat) lent me his 10/22 rifle with a scope. This was great timing because I was able to see the results of the days efforts on targets instead of groups.
I was able to attend only one day of this two day event. Perhaps I could have shot Rifleman the next day though it would have felt wrong to do so with a borrowed rifle. I’ll be back for a proper two-day Appleseed in the next few months. In the meantime, this one day of training has set the tone for practicing the right habits into bone and muscle.
Prep for Appleseed Two
If you’re planning to attend an Appleseed their “What to bring to an Appleseed Event Checklist” is great. Make sure to bring a hat for the sun or a raincoat for the rain. I also recommend binoculars (If you’re not using a scope) to see your patterns between courses of fire where you won’t be walking down to the target. My personal prep for Appleseed Two is to:
Bring a backup rifle – Just like the “What to Bring” sheet says – bring a backup rifle. There’s just no time to make major adjustments to your primary without missing key elements of the training.
Zero both rifles prior to arrival – They cover sight adjustments in the training, but, the elevation adjustments on my tech sights were maxed out and required disassembly to correct. Since I was only there for the Saturday session an instructor loaned me his backup rifle so I wouldn’t be sidelined. Also, to keep the line safe shooters are discouraged from working on their rifles outside of the preparation period. There’s really no time to focus on making major adjustments to your rifle. It’s best to come with a zero ‘d rifle with all the kinks worked out before hand.
Replace the factory with anauto bolt release – Smooth magazine changes are required for the AQT. Placing my finger just right does the trick, but, it’s a distracting hassle that annoys at the end of the day.
Goals
Earn the Rifleman’s patch with the .22 LR.
Requalify with a .308 to remap the training into a true 500 yard round.
Persuade my wife to take a drive in the country and and see what her husband is excited about.
Invite my friends to come along (I’ll drive, pay gas, share ammo and prepare your rifle, if requested!).
Spread the word – Fulfilled with this article, but, not likely to end here.
Planting Seeds of Life & Precision
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction” – Ronald Reagan
On April 19, 1775 better men than I were faced with a choice: Freedom or Slavery. They chose Freedom and paid dearly for it. The men and women of Appleseed have not forgotten and are planting seeds of life & precision in the hearts of new generations of Americans. At a time when dozens of HD screens in every home are turning brains into mush these guys are off the couch breathing the fresh air of the countryside and passing on timeless values and skills.
Politics aren’t required to embrace something fun for the whole family that instills values, skills and benefits far beyond the training, itself. The precision skills parlay into any future profession so why not take a cue from Bill Buppert and make Appleseed part of your homeschool curriculum?
Family oriented expert rifle training is happening at a range near you. Thanks to the Appleseed Project we don’t have to go to Switzerland, anymore, to find whole families at the rifle range! Who knows? With all these sparkling new rifles and Rifleman budding forth maybe it’s not too much to hope for the stabilizing peace and freedom that historically follows in their wake, was purchased by our ancestors and is currently enjoyed by our Swiss friends.
— Special thanks to Shoot Boss BaldDragn and assistent trainers James, eaglescouter, Jules, DoubleD, NorCal22Gal and Pat who trusted me with his rifle.
I put Ammunition after Water, Duct Tape and Coconut oil and before Fuel, Tarps, Paracord and Whiskey. But, that’s just me. On a recent trip to Peru I noticed a fresh role of toilet paper on the dash of every taxi.
A man’s got to have his priorities!
Life Priorities – (LP)
For the purposes of preparing for a non-specific crisis I’ve chosen to order life’s priorities in the following categories:
Water
Shelter
Food
Security
Health & Medicine
Communications
Power
Hygiene & Sanitation
General Tools
Transportation
Spices & Vices
Going through your own reasoning process and placing these categories in order is surprisingly useful. Knowing your priorities is key in making disciplined and balanced choices when allocating limited resources.
Any situation requiring something akin to a remote control drill is eligible for the deployment of firearms and ammunition. Contrary to mainstream media brainwashing firearms have a broad range of application: They serve needs in three out of ten of my top 10 Life Priority categories: Security, Food and General Tools.
Differences of opinion on the value of barter items will be rooted in Life Priorities. Your vision of where Food, Security and General Tools fit into the big picture –And your strategy in providing them– will change the ‘price’ and liquidity you assign to firearms and ammunition.
Informed Subjectivity
In a barter economy you are one half of the pricing system and your fellow trader is the other half. Making subjective judgments about the value of a barter item is not a weak method; It’s the only method. Barter economies have no broad pricing system other than the subjective judgments of the traders. Instead of complaining about subjectivity develop an informed subjectivity to become a better trader.
In barter price is expressed in terms of the desired item. To save myself from drowning in a sea of subjectivity I came up with Your Optimal Barter Equation. Please see that article for a description of the equation. Simply stated:
(M * N * LP)1-n = YO Barter
Where M are the money qualities, N is how directly the item fulfills a need and LP is the Life Priority of the need fulfilled. Note the 1-n subscript. That’s because an item can fulfill needs across multiple categories of life. In fact, the best barter items do.
Money – (M)
Ammunition is compared with the attributes of Money in the first part of this series. Ammo fairs well in the comparison. On a scale of 1-to-10 where 10 is money I give Ammunition a rating of eight. It is viable, if not strong, in seven out of the 10 attributes of money; it is not fungible, is divisible only within the same cartridge and is best traded in manufactured lots. It is also destroyed or unpredictable if wet.
Direct Need Fulfillment – (N)
Bartering ammo instead of a gun is like bartering fuel instead of a car. The ‘fuel’ for these machines have more of the attributes of money yet directly fill needs for the same Life Priorities.
Because ammunition requires a gun I’ve given ammo an eight instead of a 10 when scoring its direct fulfillment (N). Before settling on eight, however, substitutes should be considered.
Ammunition Substitutes?
Security. Walking through the aftermath of Haiti or Katrina with pepper spray or rubber bullets is a weak security play. Even if you emerge unscathed what’s your strategy to provide security for your family? The stabilizing peace that follows in the wake of responsible gun ownership is dramatic, even in good times. How much more so in a crisis? Avoidance, lights, fair trade, keeping your word are minimum behaviors of rational people. However, security is not holistic until violence that may be thrust against you by less spiritual or less rational creatures can be stopped.
Food. Yes, ifcomplete proteins are stocked in advance. Have plenty of beans & rice, whey, TVP, Hempseed, milk, eggs, soybeans, etc. You can leave hunting to hunters only with advance preparation (And hunters would be grateful if you would be so prepared).
General Tools. Need a remote control drill? Then you need firearms and ammunition. No substitutes as of 2010.
Substituting peace for violence is a noble quest undertaken within one’s own heart. Would you stake your life on all those around you achieving this state of Grace? Stockpiling a nutritious variety of complete proteins will quell your families need to hunt. Do you have this food set aside and ready to go?
At best, substitutes for firearms and ammunition are indirect and require advanced preparation. While encouraging all reasonable avoidance of violence and advanced preparation my direct fulfillment (N) score of ammunition remains an eight.
How Does Ammo Stack Up?
I took the best money substitute candidates from the 400 Item Barter List and narrowed it down to 44 Items. After assigning M, N and LP values to each item a spreadsheet was used to calculate scores using Your Optimal Barter Equation:
(M * N * LP)1-n = YO Barter
The equation was applied to the items primary (LP1) and secondary (LP2 thru N) Life Priority categories. The top 21 items ranked as follows:
Rank
Item
N
M
LP1
LP2 thru N
1
Water Packets
10
7
1
3,5,7,9
2
Lighters
9
6
2
3,4,5,8,9
3
Duct Tape
7
7
2
4,5,7,8,9
4
Batteries
10
5
7
4,5,6,7,9
5
Coconut Oil
10
7
3
5,7,9
6
Ammunition
8
8
4
3,6,9
7
Fuel
8
6
7
4,5,6,9,10
8
Tarps
8
6
2
4,7,8,9
9
Paracord
10
6
9
2,4
10
Salt
10
7
3
5,11
11
Hemp
9
7
3
5,11
12
Silver (1 oz)
10
10
9
5
13
Eggs & Milk
10
6
3
5
14
Portable Filters
5
5
1
3,5,7,9
15
Wine
10
5
11
3,5
16
Whiskey
10
7
11
5,8
17
Handgun
8
5
4
9,3
18
Razors
8
7
8
5,9
19
Aluminum Foil
4
8
3
5,7,9
20
Aloe
10
6
5
8
21
Rifle
8
4
4
3,9
As you can see, accounting for a barter items use across multiple categories yields surprising results. I didn’t expect Lighters, for example, to rate so high. However, it’s difficult to protest a Lighter’s compactness, money-like qualities and it’s direct fulfillment of needs across six of my highest Life Priority categories. Water, Lighters and Duct Tape are clear winners (Using my values).
The next three items grouped closely; there was no clear winner among Batteries, Coconut Oil and Ammunition.
I expected Eggs & Milk to rate higher but the equation is a measure of a barter items liquidity in a barter economy. The ranked items are not a preparedness list, per se. It would be a tragic mistake to stockpile excess of the above items instead of focusing on your overall preparedness needs. However, having an excess of top scoring barter items would be among the easiest errors to correct in a crisis and might help fill in the gaps of your overall plan.
Point in Time Value
Change the scenario and change the price. A box of .357 costs less when golfing at Pebble Beach than in the aftermath of the LA Riots. The value of everything changes in time for too many reasons to list. That doesn’t mean there’s no use in taking a stab at relative value in the only moment we have: Now.
My ranking of these barter items was done in the same way as a trade: Subjectively. If I place a higher value on Coconut oil than Aloe does that make me an informed consumer of Coconut oil or an ignorant one of Aloe? You tell me, my fellow trader. The subjective evaluation of the price of a barter item is not a weakness of method: It IS the method.
Ammunition is a Barter Superfood
These top 21 barter items are the superfoods of a barter economy: They provide a kind of nourishment across Lifes’ Priorities. Even after a good meal a bag of Salt still appeals. Even with a full tank of gas a spare five gallons is not to be dismissed. And, you don’t have to be a shooter to know that a few boxes of .38 Special could be traded for just about anything.
While discussing the subject of this article with a friend he jokingly said, “Forget about other barter items. A gun is your ticket to get everything you need!”. When we were done laughing I realized he had perfectly captured the spirit of the unprepared, less rational or desperate. Unfortuneatly, even in good times there are at least76 Reasons to Have a Gun and the ammunition they use.
Like water in the desert, food during famine or shelter in a storm, the value of a gun and the ammunition it uses is exactly equivalent to the value of the life it defends at the moment it defends it. Unlike water, food and shelter, however, the gun may not have to be fired to achieve its full value.
May only one half of that decision be left to someone else.
“. . . if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.” — Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
What I’d like to do here is present Tactical Tips from these summaries in a format that can be read in 2-minutes or less. That give folks a better chance of digestion even if it takes a few reads before they ‘seep in’.
Caveat in the Age of Doublespeak
As I’ve learned from Will Grigg’s meticulously chronicled accounts, any LEO could label as “Felonious Assault” the most benevolent civilian attempt to defend oneself against wrongful, even tyrannical, police force. However, I’m convinced the “Felonious Assaults” in this study describe the actions of gangsters (Of the non-government variety) that represent the most significant civilian gun-toting threat to the average American and certainly the officers at the core of this study.
Top 5 Most Disturbing Gangsta Tactics
The five most disturbing discoveries of the FBI’s study are that these ganstas:
Have no hesitation whatsoever about pulling the trigger.
Have more experience using deadly force in “street combat” than most police.
Practice with firearms more often and shoot more accurately than the average police although tend to “Shoot for effect” without aiming in actual encounters.
Nearly 70% of gangstas were successful (In getting rounds on target) with handguns, compared to about 40% of the victim officers, the study found.
The street combat veterans (Gangstas) survived by developing a shoot-first mentality.
“If you hesitate,” one gangsta told the study’s researchers, “you’re dead. You have the instinct or you don’t. If you don’t, you’re in trouble on the street….”
Gangsta Training Film
The apparent stupidity and incompetence seen in this ‘gangsta training film’ deflects consideration of the tactics the FBI study has brings to light.
After you’re done laughing at these clowns consider the aspects of their behavior that are no laughing matter: Their shoot first mentality, shooting for effect without aiming, utter disregard for bystanders or even their own friends that could have been in the line of fire. And, notice the relative ease and carefree attitude with which they engage in their meaningless street combat.
Even a skilled armed citizen with full command of their composure and firearm would have difficulty getting off strategic, safe and legally justified shots in the situation in the video. I think such a citizen would defend themselves successfully. However, they would bear the burden of doing so within some very strict parameters.
Functioning within the narrow parameters of protecting lives is always more difficult than having no parameters, at all.
I agree with Karen De Coster that this video “is a reminder to those who carry a weapon for self-defense: consistently train with your weapon – mental preparation and defensive/combat/tactical training – so if you should ever have to engage thugs who wish to do you harm, you will have the superior preparation and skills, and the odds will be with you.”
Here’s the FBI’s conclusions about gangstas and guns after studying them for five years:
Weapon Choice
Handguns, obtained illegally in street transactions or thefts.
In contrast to media myth, none of the firearms in the study was obtained from gun shows.
What was available “was the overriding factor in weapon choice”.
None of the attackers interviewed was “hindered by any law–federal, state or local–that has ever been established to prevent gun ownership.
The gangsta’s in the study “just laughed at gun laws”.
Familiarity
The average age was 17 when they first started packing “most of the time.”
Nearly 40% of the gangstas had some type of formal firearms training, primarily from the military.
More than 80% “regularly practiced with handguns, averaging 23 practice sessions a year,”
Practice was usually in informal settings like trash dumps, rural woods, back yards and “street corners in known drug-trafficking areas.”
One spoke of being motivated to improve his gun skills by his belief that officers “go to the range two, three times a week [and] practice arms so they can hit anything.”
Officers in the study averaged 2.5 qualifications per year. Only 6 of the 50 officers reported practicing regularly with handguns apart from what their department required.
The gangstas practiced more often than the officers they assaulted, and this “may have helped increase [their] marksmanship skills,”
The gangsta quoted above about his practice motivation, for example, fired 12 rounds at an officer, striking him 3 times. The officer fired 7 rounds, all misses.
More than 40% of the gangstas had been involved in actual shooting confrontations before they feloniously assaulted an officer.
Ten of these “street combat veterans,” all from “inner-city, drug-trafficking environments,” had taken part in 5 or more “criminal firefight experiences” in their lifetime.
One reported that he was 14 when he was first shot on the street, “about 18 before a cop shot me.”
Another said getting shot was a pivotal experience “because I made up my mind no one was gonna shoot me again.”
Only eight of the 50 LEO victims had participated in a prior shooting; 1 had been involved in 2 previously, another in 3. Seven of the 8 had killed gangstas.
Concealment
The gangstas said they most often hid guns on their person in the front waistband, with the groin area and the small of the back nearly tied for second place.
Some occasionally gave their weapons to another person to carry, “most often a female companion.”
None regularly used a holster, and about 40% at least sometimes carried a backup weapon.
In motor vehicles, they most often kept their firearm readily available on their person, or, less often, under the seat.
In residences, most stashed their weapon under a pillow, on a nightstand, under the mattress–somewhere within immediate reach while in bed.
Almost all carried when on the move and strong majorities did so when socializing, committing crimes or being at home.
About one-third brought weapons with them to work.
Interestingly, the gangstas in this study more commonly admitted having guns under all these circumstances than did gangstas interviewed in the researchers’ earlier 2 surveys, conducted in the 1980s and ’90s.
Male gangstas said time and time again that female officers tend to search them more thoroughly than male officers.
In prison, most of the gangstas were more afraid to carry contraband or weapons when a female CO was on duty.
On the street, however, both male and female officers too often regard female subjects “as less of a threat, assuming that they are not going to have a gun.
In truth, the researchers concluded that more female gangstas are armed today than 20 years ago–“not just female gang associates, but female gangstas generally.”
Shooting Style
Twenty-six of the gangstas [about 60%], including all of the street combat veterans, “claimed to be instinctive shooters, pointing and firing the weapon without consciously aligning the sights”.
Gangstas frequently “Practice getting the gun out and using it”.
Gangstas “Shoot for effect.” Or as one of the gangstas put it: “We’re not working with no marksmanship….We just putting it in your direction, you know….It don’t matter…as long as it’s gonna hit you…if it’s up at your head or your chest, down at your legs, whatever….Once I squeeze and you fall, then…if I want to execute you, then I could go from there.”
Hit Rate
More often than the officers they attacked, gangstas delivered at least some rounds on target in their encounters.
Nearly 70% of gangstas were successful (In getting rounds on target) with handguns, compared to about 40% of the victim officers, the study found. (Efforts of gangstas and officers to get on target were considered successful if any rounds struck, regardless of the number fired).
Gangstas “Might have had an advantage because in all but 3 cases they fired first, usually catching the officer by surprise”.
“10 of the total victim officers had been wounded [and thus impaired] before they returned gunfire at their attackers.”
Missed Cues
Officers would less likely be caught off guard by attackers if they were more observant of indicators of concealed weapons, the study concludes.
These particularly include manners of dress, ways of moving and unconscious gestures often related to carrying.
“Officers should look for unnatural protrusions or bulges in the waist, back and crotch areas,” the study says, and watch for “shirts that appear rippled or wavy on one side of the body while the fabric on the other side appears smooth.”
In warm weather, multilayered clothing inappropriate to the temperature may be a giveaway.
On cold or rainy days, a subject’s jacket hood may not be covering his head because it is being used to conceal a handgun.
Because they eschew holsters, gangstas reported frequently touching a concealed gun with hands or arms “to assure themselves that it is still hidden, secure and accessible” and hasn’t shifted”.
Such gestures are especially noticeable “whenever individuals change body positions, such as standing, sitting or exiting a vehicle”.
If they run, they may need to keep a constant grip on a hidden gun to control it.
Just as cops generally blade their body to make their sidearm less accessible, armed criminals “do the same in encounters with LEOs to ensure concealment and easy access.”
Officers who are assigned to look for concealed weapons, while working off-duty security at night clubs for instance, are often highly proficient at detecting them. “But then when they go back to the street without that specific assignment, they seem to ‘turn off’ that skill,” and thus are startled–sometimes fatally–when a suspect suddenly produces a weapon and attacks.
Mind-Set
Thirty-six of the 50 officers in the study had “experienced hazardous situations where they had the legal authority” to use deadly force “but chose not to shoot.” They averaged 4 such prior incidents before the encounters that the researchers investigated.
“It appeared clear that none of these officers were willing to use deadly force against an gangsta if other options were available”.
The gangstas were of a different mind-set entirely. In fact, the study team “did not realize how cold blooded the younger generation of gangsta is. They have been exposed to killing after killing, they fully expect to get killed and they don’t hesitate to shoot anybody, including a police officer.
They can go from riding down the street saying what a beautiful day it is to killing in the next instant.
“gangstas typically displayed no moral or ethical restraints in using firearms”.
The street combat veterans (Gangstas) survived by developing a shoot-first mentality.
Insurance companies refuse to insure medical professionals who inject it.
The companies making it have insisted the government grant them total liability protection for any complications resulting from it.
One of the known ingredients in multidose vials is mercury.
It will not be ready in time to be tested in any scientific way.
The trials that have been conducted have not been performed with the same vaccine that will be given to the public.
The H1N1 strain for which it has been prepared has already mutated so that the ‘vaccine’ can not possibly help your immune system with the old original H1N1 strain which is now gone.
Last, but, not least: When a similar vaccination program was undertaken in 1976 it killed 250 people and left an enormous number of neurologically damaged and crippled while creating a brand new “Made in USA” autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).
Ok, that’s my list, against, written as a concerned parent. Buckle up your seatbelts for 18 more from a truly thorough full-time health advocate, Bill Sardi. Then come back to put this insanity in perspective on what this artificial crisis is really about, if you’ve got the time.
Why would anyone take this shot?
Simple:
Few people have the time or desire to research these things.
Reading medical research documents is hardly the preferred way to relax after a hard days work.
The CDC says it will save us though offers zero evidence to back up their evasive recommendations.
So, in the end people just go with their doctors’ recommendation (Who is probably not going to take it, themselves).
To make matters far worse you have states like Massachusetts trying to pass a law that will fine people $1000 per day or 30 days in jail for not taking the shot. Given that the ingredients are not even known what exactly is this law even based on? We know congress doesn’t read the laws they pass, but, this takes it to a new level of incompetence.
Don’t Take My Word for It
In his latest Newsletter Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. says:
“Right now, the government is working hard to implement a draconian program to vaccinate the population by force. This is an absolutely insane idea. If they mandate that all Americans be vaccinated, I predict that we will see an unprecedented number of vaccine-related deaths (as many as 250 died during the 1976 vaccine fiasco) and an enormous number of neurologically damaged and crippled people. The vaccine tested for safety before the 1976 scare was not the one used — the actual vaccine given to the public was untested. We may be seeing the same thing again. I suspect that the dangerous MF-59 adjuvant (squalene) will not be in the vaccine used for the test, but will be in the one given to the public. MF-59 is an immune-boosting additive that has been associated with severe autoimmune diseases,such as Lupus and multiple sclerosis-like disorders. There is a potential for millions of people to be crippled by these vaccine-induced diseases. As for the flu itself, at the time of this writing it is considered to be a low virulent virus — meaning that it is no worse than any other flu in the recent past. Those who are dying are not dying from the virus itself, but from a cytokine storm. Their bodies’ reaction to the virus is what is actually killing them. It was recently reported that smokers were found to have an intense inflammatory reaction deep within their lungs when exposed to the flu virus. One wonders how many of those who died were smokers or had immune disorders, but the CDC is keeping silent.”
“The 1976 swine flu fiasco began when a single soldier died from the flu at Fort Dix. He was infected along with five other soldiers, but he decided to go on a forced march even though he was sick. A person can die from a common cold if forced to march — I know because I used to see these soldiers when I was in the service. The other soldiers were tested and found to have a common strain of flu. The CDC analyzed the blood of the soldier who died and announced he had the swine flu strain. The news triggered a panic. The public was not told that a sergeant gave the soldier mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but did not contract the flu. I suspect that the CDC mistyped the virus. Here we go again!”
Spermicide, Cleaners, and Cosmetics along with Thimerosal and Squalene Found in Experimental H1N1 Vaccine
