Guns Redux

 

 There's been a lot of talk about gun violence for, well, decades.  I've found many on both sides of the discussion to be more uninformed than those with strong opinions should be.  For that reason, I've been writing this series on guns and gun violence, adding new entries as I think they're needed in the hopes of educating both sides of the debate.  

What makes me more knowledgeable on guns than the average person?  I'm a 30+ year competitive shooter and former firearms instructor, who holds a USPSA Master classification and a PPC High Master ranking.  I've owned many of the controversial guns being discussed, perform my own ammunition load development, and lived through the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.  As a data driven, reformed conservative, I let facts take me wherever they lead.  

About the data:  Unless otherwise noted, my sources are consistent across the series.  For mass homicides, I use Mother Jones database, Gun Violence Archive for mass shootings, and FBI reports for everything else. I don't "cook" anything to support a predetermined narrative.  I use the FBI definition for mass homicides and choose meaningful time windows (i.e. five years, ten years, from 2000 onward, etc.)

My AR-15 figures include all other semiautomatic rifles, such as MCX, AK47, AR-10, etc.  

This post will serve as the directory of all the posts in the series.  I've broken the posts into three chunks; 

The Core, which I think contains the most valuable information
The AR-15 Section, which contains additional information on the AR-15, beyond the entry in the Core
Others - These posts contain what I think to be value (or I wouldn't have written them), but wouldn't necessarily view them as "must read".

As always, your feedback is welcome.

Core

My Relationship With Guns  

Is a short introduction to me, along with my background.

Gun Culture 

Why does the US have so many guns?  Why are they so interwoven with American society?  This entry takes a semi sociological and historical view of the subject.   

Gun Homicides:  The Numbers 

Provides a thorough and objective analysis of gun homicides; historical, by weapon type, and by incident type.  How many deaths occur during mass events?  If you read one entry, make it this one.

It's The Guns

Yeah, it's not that simple.  A deep dive into some interesting stats.

Mass Shootings and Mass Homicides

Some insight into the differences and similarities.  

Mass Shootings Deux

Why do we care about some and not others? 

The AR-15

Everything you wanted to know, or should know, about the platform.  Are there legitimate reasons to own an AR-15 (or other semiautomatic rifle)?  How evil is the gun?

Can We Ban Guns?

What happens if we try to ban guns?  This one also applies to subsets of guns, such as semiautomatic rifles.

My Ideas For Addressing Gun Violence

Or at least deal with the symptoms, since no one seems to care about the core issues.  

How Gun Violence Can Be Traced Back to Who Settled There

This is a unique take I found in an article I thought I'd share.

The AR-15 Section

Stopping Power, Shot Placement, and Other Considerations

This is a companion piece to the above entry that provides insight on why some guns are well suited to self-defense.  

The Impact of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban

What measures did it include and how did that impact gun violence?  

The Founding Fathers and the AR-15

What would they think of the gun?  Also, some food for thought on their danger.

Pistol Braces For Dummies

This one provides an explanation of pistol braces and whether they matter.

Others 

The 2nd Amendment

What does it really mean?  A review from a historical context perspective.  

Good Guy With a Gun

"Only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun."  Does the old saying stand up to reality?

Giggle Switches - The Real Gun Problem No One's Talking About

Going full auto with your Glock has become way too easy.

Which Gun Owners Are The Danger to Society?

More Random Thoughts on Gun Violence 

The Fallacy of Holding Gun Manufacturers Accountable

Specifically, what do we hold them accountable for?

Covid Vaccines and Conspiracy Theories - Food For The Obtuse

Recently, I've been exposed to some of the current wild and fantastical conspiracies associated with the virus and more importantly, vaccination.  They've left me completely flabbergasted and provided another reminder of how gullible too many Americans are.  In all fairness, much of the medical mumbo jumbo is likely over the heads of those who believe it.  The whole mRNA thing is beyond my own span of attention.  However, we can still use the tools we all have at our disposal to ferret out bullshit, a suspicious and critical mind.  My regular readers know that I rarely take questionable assertions at face value and tend to fact check on my own.  For example, one of the fringe outlets claimed that 'CDC data released on July 9th' shows a massive spike in deaths from vaccines.  Before I called bullshit, I went to the CDC's website to confirm.  Because they're a government entity, they put everything they release on their website.  I think we both know what I found; or didn't find.  Now, I'm calling bullshit.  Something I did find was a direct correlation between vaccination rates and Covid deaths.  No surprise the states with higher vaccination rates have fewer cases and deaths.  

Another way to utilize your critical mind is to ask the questions 'to what end?' and 'Who profits from this and how?'  These questions, and most of this entry, are universal with respect to conspiracy theories in general, but we'll stick with the one at hand.  Who would benefit from the successful outcome of the supposed conspiracy and why?  Clearly, the pharma companies would receive the greatest benefit by reaping huge profits from government contracts to develop and manufacture the vaccines on an emergency basis.  PPE manufacturers also benefitted from a massive spike in demand.  Hell, I received some nice upside orders from 3M earlier in the pandemic.  Maybe I'm in on the conspiracy.  Shit, I've said too much.

What stands out to me is the massive number of 'auxiliary players' required to be complicit in the scheme, but who wouldn't profit.  What's in it for them to participate or at least keep their mouths shut?  It's not as though the profits pharma took in would be sufficient to buy everyone's silence.  Let's look at one of the most important groups of auxiliary players, the media.

Why is it that these conspiracy theories are always 'broken' by fringe media outlets, or bloggers, or some guy in the produce aisle?  They're never ever covered by legitimate news outlets.  The media's in on it!  Sorry to burst your bubble, but logic says otherwise.  For those who've forgotten, all of these outlets (CNN, NYT, Fox News) are for profit companies.  What generates the most revenue for a news outlet?  Certainly not suppressing what would be sensational developments.  Such reporting would generate massive ratings / readership, which would make them more money than an entity paying them hush money.  Because not only would they get a short term bump, but the ratings and higher ad placement prices would carry on for some time.  The media, all the media, would fight tooth and nail to break such a story and cover it non-stop for as long as that gravy train lasted.  

On the flip side, what do the conspiracy theorists get in return for their activities?  Attention, money, and (misplaced) credibility that they wouldn't have received were they going about their lives.  Who wouldn't throw out a ton of bullshit for that payout?  Seems the conspiracy freaks might have greater motivation than those allegedly complicit in the conspiracy they're trying to sell.   

Touching on the politically motivated, it would be quite the fantasy world to get D's and R's to agree to this sort of thing (or anything else, for that matter).  Make no mistake, they'd all have to be complicit.   Not happening.  The wretched right seems hell bent on their constituents dying from Covid by keeping them from getting vaccinated, even though they've all be vaccinated themselves.  There's some serious motivation for them to be driving the shit out of these conspiracies, if there were even the tiniest fragment of truth to them.  But you're not hearing a peep from even the more euthanasia worthy lawmakers, like MTG or Louis Gohmert.  I'll let you draw your own conclusion, but perhaps it's because such conspiracy theories are too obviously bullshit for even these dipshits to give oxygen to.  

The bottom line is that massive 'evil' conspiracies can't exist in secret, period.  Somebody always fucks up.  There will always be someone who loses the the fortitude to remain evil and caves.  Or, someone inadvertently shares too much with that underage hooker in Dallas.  This almost always happens when one party is involved.  Dozens of parties all gettin' down on the evil?  Hah!  Again, pure fantasy.  It becomes more of a farce, when you consider governments are involved.  Nothing stays secret in governments.  Throw in language barriers and differing agendas of the various supposedly involved countries and leaks will occur.  Every damned time.

Ultimately, there's no way the conspiracy at hand could be true.  It would have been leaked by someone and amplified through every level of media, by those with the incentive to do so, of which there are many.  

Vaccination should be mandatory.  Those who believe this is a draconian and distasteful measure are idiots.  Your kids have to be vaccinated against various things to attend school, so you've already complied with mandatory vaccinations and given proof to the school system.  Oops, didn't think of that, did you?  You're not a fucking virologist, so don't pretend to know what is and isn't true on the internet about the virus, particularly when crosschecking facts blows the damned thing up prima facia.  You don't have feathers, so stop parroting everything you read that you fall for.  Do the right thing for yourself and your family, for a change.  Take off the tin foil hat, say goodbye to Q once and for all, and get your fucking family vaccinated.  

Also, stop with the idiotic memes comparing mandatory vaccinations with the Holocaust or any other Nazi symbolism.  Comparing vaccination with genocide is offensive, because there is no fucking comparison, you moronic snowflake.  While I'm typically fine allowing morons to identify themselves in grand fashion, there are too many soft minds in this country who may believe the bullshit.  Largely in the same way there are those who believe the election was stolen from the Cheeto faced shit gibbon; but I already covered that one.  

Now, really get off my lawn.

Be Very Very Quiet

This entry has zero to do with dating or sex, but it's cool stuff and keeping my shelter in place mind off of dating, sex, and my hatred of the Midwest.

I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice to say one of my work friends is an evil enabler, when it comes to things that go bang.  My current stop on the train to a permanent spot on the government's watch list is Silencer City.

Late last year, I purchased my first silencer.  Cool, right?  For a gun guy it is, so humor me.  What's not so cool is I still can't take it home.  You see, once you've purchased and paid for your adorable tube of quiet, the ATF must still approve that purchase, so, your little black cylinder of joy sits 'in jail' until the that happens, which can be up to a year.  I'm at 188 days, not that I'm keeping track.  (Update:  the total wait time was ultimately 352 days.)I own the silencer and can use it at my dealer's shooting range; I just can't take it home.  Shortly after my second conjugal visit, I discovered that you can legally build your own silencer.  The best part is that the associated ATF approval for that only takes about 30 days.  Well, why didn't you tell me!?

You may be thinking you need your own machine shop to fabricate one of these little gems, but it's amazingly simple.  There are devices called solvent traps, which are tubes that screw onto the end of your barrel during cleaning, and are designed to catch excess solvent and cleaning patches.  They have little dividers and chambers to maximize the amount of material they can hold.  But when you drill a hole through the center of the solvent trap and through the dividers, it becomes a silencer.  There's quite a bit more to it than that, but nothing that can't be done with a drill press and a Dremel.  And like most hobbies, there's a very active online community that you can lean on for advice.  

So, off I went.  I've designed and built two silencers, so far, and am waiting on ATF approval for two more.  God bless the ATF.  Each and every silencer application, officially known as a Form 1, requires a background check, submitting two sets of finger prints, and a $200 tribute to the crown.  Once approved, you receive a tax stamp (it literally is a stamp) for the silencer you want to build.  With that in hand (or in your email), it's time to break out the tools.  Should you drill prior to receiving your stamp, you are committing a felony.

The best part is that if you've done your homework,  you'll wind up with a can that outperforms ones you can buy off the shelf.  That is, if you design for a particular application.  For example, my first silencer was designed to be used solely for subsonic 300 Blackout, and it's damned good.  The loudest thing you hear is the rifle's bolt cycling.  

And now, the Q&A:

Do silencers really work as well as in the movies?  In a word, No.  A silencer will decrease the level of sound created by a gun shot, but it won't eliminate it.  This is particularly true with higher powered rounds, which still require hearing protection, while using a silencer.  Plus, there's the noise of the gun cycling, as I mentioned.  One of the folks I know measured the sound of a bolt cycling at 112 decibels; about as loud as a jackhammer, which is not quiet.

Why would you need a silencer?  I'll admit my primary reason for wanting to own a silencer is because it's fucking cool (for a shooting enthusiast).  I'd be lying through my teeth if I claimed to not to have felt a little James Bond ish, when I threaded a silencer onto a gun, the first few times.  There are also legit benefits to using these devices.  If, heaven forbid, you have to use your gun to defend your home against an intruder, you either suffer permanent hearing loss or use a silencer.  They also protect your hearing, when shooting at the range.  High power rifles are really loud that hearing protection (plugs, muffs) can only do so much; I had a mild ringing in my right ear after a recent session.  A silencer attenuates the sound enough to make them safer; you'll still want to wear hearing protection, though.  

Why would I want to build a own silencer?  Because You.Can.Build.Your.Own.Silencer.  Plus, as I mentioned above, you can frequently achieve better results versus commercial offerings.  They're lighter, too, because we tend to build everything out of titanium.  It may seem unusual, but some people make a hobby out of it.  

Once I finish my last two suppressors, I'll be departing Silencer City.  It's been a fun hobby, but it's not inexpensive.  The can I mentioned above cost me $640, not including the $200 tax stamp.  

Vanitas, Vanitatum, et Omnia Vanitas

Recently, I engaged in an activity that, until recently, would have discounted as a non-starter.  I'm speaking of cosmetic surgery.  Surely, that sort of thing was the domain only of the vain or insecure.  Certainly nothing someone like I would engage in.  My 'brand', my value proposition as a person is built on intellect, humor, philanthropy, and being inquisitive about the world around me.  I have no need for such superficial nonsense.  Obviously, something changed my mind.

While the rest of my body remains in line with the number of years on it, less actually, my face hasn't.  Stress, genetics, who knows, but I feel as though I've aged ten years in the past three, and certainly look older than I should.  One of those reasons is that I was born with hooded eyelids.  I've always noticed them, but in the past five years, they seem to have begun a mad dash downward.  They finally reached the point where they impacted my vision and frankly, my confidence.  So I scheduled an appointment with a surgeon.  I knew having them addressed would make me look a bit younger, plus the procedure is covered by insurance.  That's a win win in my book.  Then, the surgeon explained he could do the lower lids at the same time, for less than if I were to have them done separately.  Basically, another $4k to have the bags under my eyes, which had also begun to bother me, disappear.  He also noted your brows tend to move downward, as you age.  He said it was an extra five minutes per side for him to make an incision and put in a stitch to raise them, so he'd throw that in for free.  It was a surprisingly easy decision to make.  Look noticeably younger for only $4k?  Absolutely. 

Had all of this activity been out of pocket, I doubt I'd have ever considered having either of the procedures done.   But there it was, all laid out and oh, so easy.

And so, eight days ago, I found myself on an operating table, with a surgeon slicing, dicing, burning, and throwing chemicals on the area around my eyes.  Initially, I was a bit freaked out over being conscious during the procedure (I'm quite touchy about my vision), but whatever drug cocktail they pumped into my arm was properly calming.  Still, I was completely awake.  I recall joking around with the surgeon and Larry, the anesthesia guy.  At one point, I inquired whether they'd brought in the machine that goes ping.  (Monty Python...Google it)

As one can imagine, I've been less than the ultimate example of pulchritude, post operation.  The swelling and bruising have only begun to subside in earnest over the past 36 hours or so and I feel comfortable that my appearance will no longer traumatize small children (any more than usual).  However, the results are undeniable.  While I despise selfies, I've taken a series of them to chronicle my recovery.  When I compare recent pictures to the one I took immediately prior to surgery, even with the swelling that will continue to subside, my eyebrows are lifted and the bags under my eyes are mostly gone.  Most incredibly of all my eyelids no longer hang over my eyes.  That's incredible because I still have a ton of swelling in that area; things will continue to improve!

Putting aside the vanity aspect of the procedures, did they improve my life at all?  The answer to that is a resounding 'Hell, yeah!'.  Today was the first time I left the house, during the day, where my eyes were perfectly clear and not hazed by ointments.   I took a moment, while stopped at a light, to perform a quick assessment of my vision.  Holy shit, I can see so much more!  I'd reached the point where I felt as though I perpetually had a sun visor on, limiting my vertical field of view, and that visor had disappeared.  Prior to the surgery, looking above the horizon required rotating my head, whereas now, I need only to look with my eyes.  It truly is an amazing improvement.

So, here I am on the rare occasion where my position on a subject has been significantly altered, although I still consider those who have elective cosmetic surgery to be vain.  So despite what I've always told myself, it seems I am not without some vanity of my own.  And I'm okay with that.

What Have I Become???

Recently, I haven't been feeling myself and I'm not sure what's happening.  Putting it into words has been a challenge, so I'll share two events that illustrate why I'm so out of sorts.

First, I was in Richmond last week, to deal with a few things and one of those found me in circuit court.  It was not a criminal matter and I wasn't the defendant.  Since there are apparently not many civil cases at any one time, mine got lumped in with what I discovered was drug court.  I'd briefly researched the judge I'd be in front of and discovered he ran his own program for substance abusers.  My case was placed behind the various drug cases, which afforded me the opportunity to observe this judge and his interaction with those in front of him.  

To say I was astonished by his behavior would be an understatement.  He treated each defendant with kindness and respect.  It was clear he had read every bit of the case files in front of him.  When rendering his decision, this man showed more concern for a positive outcome for these people than he did about 'carrying out justice'.  When considering those who've broken the law, my position has always been 'try 'em and fry 'em' but something about the humanity I saw demonstrated in that courtroom struck home with me.  I walked out of that courthouse thinking the world needs more of what I'd just witnessed.

The second event occurred just yesterday, when a colleague and I were discussing an execution gone wrong in I think Arkansas, not that it matters.  Again, my position has always been to take the bastards out and shoot 'em.  But yesterday's conversation made me think about the topic in a different way.  Rather than focus on the condemned, what about those who physically carry out the sentence?  The guy who administers the lethal injection, or pulls the switch on 'Old Sparky'?  What a terrible burden to carry around; I just took the life of another human.  With the exception of sociopaths, no one escapes the trauma associated with such an act.  In the past, PA used firing squads to execute prisoners.  In order to prevent the guilt associated with taking a life, all but one of the guards had blanks loaded in his gun, and the weapons weren't handed out until right before the event.  Let me tell you, when you're firing blanks, it's a completely different feeling than when discharging live ammo, so there's no way the man who fired the rounds that killed the prisoner didn't know he was that guy.  Studies have shown the death penalty isn't a deterrent in the least.  

At the end of the brief conversation, I'd reached the conclusion that the death penalty should be removed as punishment.  Not because some nasty scumbags don't deserve a slow, painful death, but to preserve the humanity of those tasked with carrying out the order.  

So, what's happening to me?  Has my brain been scrambled somehow?  Oh shit!  

I'm becoming a LIBERAL!!!

The Smell of Dog

I’m a serious dog lover, but this is the first time in my life I’ve not owned one. My travel schedule makes having a furry companion unrealistic. I just couldn’t board a dog that frequently, particularly since my choice would be a large one. Were that not the case, I’d have dognapped my border collie from my ex-wife by now. As border collies tend to be, she’s wicked smart and incredibly loyal. When we rescued her, I decided I would learn how to train her and began reading about clicker training. At the time my marriage ended, she knew over a dozen hand signals, three times as many voice commands, and I swear she could read my mind, sometimes. 

When I left the marriage and moved to Richmond, I found myself with two needs. The first was to find a way to make the world a better place. As a result of being married to a borderline (see previous blogs), I’d become a bitter and selfish, and wasn’t happy with the man that stared back at me in the mirror. That needed to change. The second need I had was a way to get a dog fix without owning one. The solution seemed simple, so I began researching local rescue organizations. The Richmond SPCA has trainers on staff as well as a team of volunteers educated on behavior modification, so I began volunteering there. Understandably, I had to put in some sweat equity before they’d let me actually train dogs, so my first volunteer job was as a dog walker. Having developed knowledge of canine behavior modification, it didn’t take long to be selected for the team and additional training. We focus on both training techniques as well as reading canine body language. You might be surprised at all the things a dog can tell you, if you know how to listen. 

Our projects cover the gamut and really depend on what dogs have needs. Today, I worked with three dogs. The first was recovering from surgery. He needed to get some exercise, but not too much; work the leg but don’t damage it. It’s a bit much to ask normal volunteers to understand where that sweet spot lies, so our team takes over. Plus, he flat out needed some quality time not in his kennel. The second had not been socialized and needed to learn to be a dog. She also really needs to learn to take treats without ripping my fingers off. The third was dog aggressive, so we worked on focus (gaining it back when she sees another dog) as well as a few other things. We’ll also work with dogs who are stressed in the shelter environment; really, they all are but some are much worse than others. If a dog has a bad habit, that might prevent them from being adopted, we’ll work on that. My first project dog was this massive pit bull who got so excited when you came to visit that he’d knock you right over. I taught him that he would lose the thing he wanted most (me) if he jumped. He learned manners and got adopted within a week. We really do run the gamut of what we tackle. Regardless, our goal is to give each dog the best opportunity at being adopted. 

We tend not to get involved with the adoption process, itself, although I’ve had project dogs who were quite special to me. For those, I’ve been known to work families over, if I feel they’ll take care of my baby. That’s the odd thing about this sort of work. It can be easy to get attached to the occasional project dog, because you spend so much time with it. So, when they get adopted, you’re torn between sadness over losing your friend and joy because they’re part of a family, who’ll love them constantly and not just for a dozen hours each week. 

Aside from raising my stepchildren to be productive adults, the work I do at the shelter is the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my life. Knowing I’m helping dogs find forever homes with families who love them makes it all worthwhile. Plus, I get my dog fix and get drooled on to my heart’s desire. I’m exhausted and smell like dog, but I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.