Divemedic

The law to allow teachers to volunteer for the guardian program has been passed and is expected to be signed by the governor into law. That means exactly nothing. Not a single school district will approve allowing teachers to be armed.

I became a teacher after I retired from over 20 years as a firefighter and paramedic, where I spent part of my career working with the SWAT team. I spent years as an IDPA competitor, and I am a military veteran. I have carried a concealed weapon for more than 25 years. A permit that has allowed me to carry a weapon into McDonald’s, Disney, public parks, streets and sidewalks. Not once have I used that weapon in a threatening or illegal manner. I have not even had a traffic ticket in more than a decade.
I have spent more than 30 years wearing one uniform or another, defending the people who could not defend themselves, saving lives, and helping others. In that time, I have had dozens of background checks for security clearances, teaching, firefighting, and paramedic licenses, as well as for concealed weapons permits. Again and again over the past three decades, I have proven my character, my devotion, and my trustworthiness.
I would, if necessary, lay down my life in defense of the children that have been placed in my care. Even in Kindergarten. Possibly YOUR children, if you are reading this.
Except the politicians have declared that I am not permitted to do so, because they don’t trust me. So instead, I must sit in the dark, unarmed, unable to protect those children, hiding and waiting for the lunch lady to come rescue us while the deputy takes cover outside.

At the time of this post, the headline reads: “4 deputies shoot man playing loud music at Sweetwater Country Club,” which is misleading because it makes things sound as if playing music is the reason the man was shot. Reading the article:

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said deputies were called to the home early Wednesday because loud music was coming from a home on Majestic Oak Drive… Mina said a 49-year-old man, whose name has not been released, pointed a gun at deputies, who opened fire, striking him. The man was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition.

The news media is not in the business of selling facts. They are selling advertising space. The facts sometimes get in the way of that.

Tell me again how universal background checks or making it illegal for 18-21 year olds to purchase a firearm would stop a 16 year old criminal from killing a 14 year old criminal because he didn’t want to pay for the stolen gun that the 14 year old was trying to sell.

In 2014, a man was sitting in a movie theater sending a text message. A man sitting behind him took offense at this and asked him to put the phone away. The texter told him to piss off because it was only previews. The complainer, who happened to be a retired police captain, went to get a manager. The manager told the cop to relax, the movie hadn’t even started yet.

Returning to the theater, the retired cop began arguing with the man, who became upset and threw a large popcorn in the cop’s face. The cop drew his concealed weapon and shot the man dead.

The cop was subsequently charged with second degree murder. He immediately claimed self defense under Florida’s stand your ground law. Years of legal maneuvering and the SYG hearing finally got underway in 2017. At the SYG hearing, an off duty cop who witnessed the shooting had some damning testimony. The court denied the SYG defense and ordered a trial.

After another year of legal maneuvering, the trial was finally set for February of 2019. Then, in another twist, his defense team argued that changes in Florida’s Stand Your Ground law that came in 2018 should be applied retroactively. A court in August of 2018 agreed, and now his trial has been delayed in definitely.

A man killed another in a petty disagreement. Here we are, more than five years later, and the shooted continues to use legal maneuvering to avoid trial. I am all for self defense and believe that everyone deserves justice, but this is an outright abuse of the legal system. The whole idea of SYG hearings is to prevent legal bills from running innocent people into bankruptcy, not allow people to play the system and delay a trial until they die of old age.

This is the sort of thing that anti gun forces love to point to as a reason to eliminate self defense and concealed carry.

There was a Burger King that was robbed this past Saturday morning at about 7:30 in the Villages.

They finally found and arrested the guy. He is only 18 years old, but has already been arrested four different times since his 18th birthday. The history of this particular thug is an interesting insight into the court system:

October 2018:
Aggravated Battery with a deadly weapon
Criminal Mischief
Battery by touching or striking
This ended in a plea deal where the felony charges were changed to misdemeanor.

November 2018:
This case was the misdemeanor charges that were part of the plea deal from October. He finally made it to trial in January, and was released January 17th with a sentence of time served and a $1350 fine (which he never paid).

February 2019
It wasn’t long before he was in trouble again. Just 35 days after his release from the last case, he was again arrested for driving without a license. He received 6 months probation and a $600 fine.

April 2019 (The Burger King robbery)
Illegal carry concealed weapon
6 counts kidnapping to facilitate a felony
2 counts criminal mischief
1 count of aggravated battery on a LEO
1 count fleeing and attempting to elude LEO
1 count of  robbery with a firearm
possession of methamphetamine
driving without a license
2 counts of child abuse

This is all just since he turned 18 in September. He is a one man crime spree. Since his 18th birthday seven months ago, he has committed at least 15 felonies (that we know of), even though he was in jail for four of those seven months. 

When thugs like this are running the street and robbing people at gunpoint, honest, law abiding gun owners are being punished, even though it is the failure of our court system to put a stop to this madness. Maybe this time they will have him serve some real time, because the next crime he commits will likely result in him killing someone.

A boat sank in Florida after it was struck by lightning. The couple lost many belongings, including 374 bumpstocks.

I have owned dozens of handguns. About five years ago, I decided that, to simplify maintenance and the number of spare parts and tools that I need to keep in stock, I would be going with one brand of handgun. I wanted it to be striker fired, available in multiple calibers, and relatively common as well as reliable.
I arrived at this decision because I had just gone through dealing with my 1911 phase. I owned several 1911 type handguns: Several Kimbers, a Colt, and a couple of others. They all required more maintenance and were less reliable than any other category of handgun that I owned. They became safe queens. For more than a kilobuck, I expected more. Sure, you can get a reliable 1911, but expect to spend as much on one as you would on a machine gun. I decided that I wanted to find something more reliable.

Then I realized that there really was no difference between handgun cartridges. The 45 versus 9mm versus 40 debate just stopped being interesting. For all practical purposes, there is no difference between handgun cartridges. So, I gave up on stocking so many different types of ammo.

I sold many of my own handguns and thereafter decided to buy firearms based upon the niche they were to fill. The Smith and Wesson M&P series fills most of my needs. I have full sized models in 9mm, 22LR,  and 40 caliber. They all even have the same sights on them (Trijicon HD in orange) so it is easier to transition from one to the other. I also have a 357Sig and 9mm barrel for the 40, so I can choose my caliber.

For those times when a single stack is needed, the Shield fits that bill nicely. Again, the Trijicon sights make transition from one handgun to the other easier.

I also have a Jframe, just so I have a handgun that I can quickly slip into a pocket for a quick trip to the store. I am also planning on getting an M&P 9mm compact just in case the legislature finally decides that teachers can be accepted into the Guardian program.

Here is a video of Brazilian (Sao Paulo) police training at the range. I wonder if the instructor gets hazardous duty pay.

Not too far from where I live, a man fell and was killed by his cassowary, which is a large flightless bird that is nearly human sized and known to occasionally kill dogs and humans. I wonder if they taste like chicken. I am betting you that #4 shot would work pretty well.