Guns

Profiteering

This guy complains that Florida’s constitutional carry is dangerous because there is no training requirement for people to carry a weapon. While I agree that people need training, this guy is being a disingenuous prick. Let me tell you why.

This is how he fulfills the “instructor must observe the student firing a weapon” requirement that is under Florida’s current CCW training requirement. Does that look like a class being taught by an instructor that cares about firearms training? Does that look like a high quality class? He gives a 2 hour class, where there is a 20 question quiz at the end that he gives the students the answers to, then makes them fire a single round into a bullet trap.

His class is nothing more than a scam to meet the bare requirements of the law, extract $49 from students, and try to sucker them into taking other courses that aren’t required by the law. Reading that article, I would steer clear of Brandon Gun School. There are other schools out there that deliver a much better class than that, and aren’t of the “I’m a gunowner, but” brand of instructor who is willing to sell out gun owners for a quick buck…

By Divemedic, ago

Changes to Florida Law

Let me start by saying that I am not a lawyer, and you therefore shouldn’t rely upon my advice. With that being said, here is my reading on the new “constitutional carry” law that was signed by the governor today. (pdf alert, but not stored here at SectorOcho)

It removes the legal requirement to have a concealed weapons permit for anyone who can legally receive a concealed weapons permit in the state of Florida. If also removes the restriction against having a firearm in a pharmacy that was previously in effect for anyone not a LEO or a CWP holder.

Places that are off limits to carry remain otherwise unchanged. If you are legally permitted to carry a concealed weapon, carrying a weapon at a school is a misdemeanor. I still advise maintaining a permit because permit holders do not have to go through a waiting period for purchases.

Here is the big change, as far as I am concerned:

790.251 Protection of the right to keep and bear arms in motor vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes; prohibited acts; duty of public and private employers; immunity from liability; enforcement.—
(2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
(c) “Employee” means any person who is authorized to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm under s. 790.01(1) possesses a valid license issued pursuant to s. 790.06 and:
1. Works for salary, wages, or other remuneration;
2. Is an independent contractor; or
3. Is a volunteer, intern, or other similar individual for an employer.

As used in this section, the term “firearm” includes ammunition and accoutrements attendant to the lawful possession and use of a firearm.

No public or private employer may violate the constitutional rights of any customer, employee, or invitee as provided in paragraphs (a)-(e):
(c) No public or private employer shall condition employment upon either:
1. The fact that an employee or prospective employee is authorized to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm under s. 790.01(1) holds or does not hold a license issued pursuant to s. 790.06; or
2. Any agreement by an employee or a prospective employee that prohibits an employee from keeping a legal firearm locked inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot when such firearm is kept for lawful purposes.
This subsection applies to all public sector employers, including those already prohibited from regulating firearms under the provisions of s. 790.33.

If you recall, the previous law was a bit of a gray area when it came to guns in parking lots. Take that, Disney.

A bunch of other stuff was added that governs schools and school boards. I haven’t read that yet.

So there you have it, some big changes coming to the state on July 1 when the law takes effect. I will be waiting to see some lawyer’s interpretations of the new law.

By Divemedic, ago

Annual Pistol Competition

The folks over at GunFreeZone post about cops who don’t take well when losing IDPA matches. Let me add my own stories to that.

About 20 years ago, I was competing in IDPA matches. I went on a vacation to Mexico, and it just happened that an employee of the Public Works Department and the head of the police Department’s SWAT team in the city where I was employed as a firefighter were on the same trip. Some smack talking ensued, and the cops decided to set up a pistol competition. The police, fire, and public works departments would all compete, and any revenue would go to charity. It was billed as the First Annual City Pistol Competition.

The cops really screwed the pooch when they didn’t do their homework. The deputy fire chief was a Master level IDPA shooter and placed in a couple of state level matches, and the director of Public Works was the President of the Florida Cowboy Pistol Shooter’s Association. I was a decent shooter as a Sharpshooter that had one a couple of local matches, and I barely made the team for the FD. There were some really good shooters on the Public Works and Fire Department teams. I felt outclassed.

The results of the match were embarrassing for the cops. Public works walked away with it, the fire department came in second, and the cops were a distant last.

The rules were modified by the cops to heavily favor their elite SWAT skills. For example, the cops didn’t have to conceal, but everyone else did. A reflection of Florida law, they claimed. Also, there was no ten round magazine restriction. One stage in particular was tough because it required multiple reloads, even with the larger magazines.

There was one stage that was setup to look like the inside of a church with about 40 IDPA targets inside. I think 8 were painted blue, 8 painted red, and the remainder not painted at all. At the beginning of the stage as you entered the church, the RSO would hold up a paper plate that was either red or blue. The color of the plate was the one you weren’t supposed to shoot. It was a mess of a stage, because there were so many non-threats in there. It was way easy to plug a hole in one by accident.

When I did that stage, I shot it clean. As the RSO held up a red plate, I yelled out “RED IS MY FRIEND” over and over again, so I wouldn’t screw it up. I managed to engage every blue target while missing every red and unpainted one. As I remember, I got a decent score. Not the best, but not bad.

The SWAT team’s sniper (we will call him Darryl) was next. As he entered, the RSO held up a blue plate. That dumb sonofabitch went in there and drilled every single blue target. Twice. It took them forever to calculate all of the penalties for engaging all of those non-threats, and probably involved some calculus. I even saw one of the cops take off his shoes so he could count higher. Darryl wound up finishing dead last in the entire match. Since we were friends, I gave him no mercy at all for months about that one. Holy hell, it was hilarious.

Darryl still doesn’t find it funny. I do. It turned out that the First Annual City Pistol Competition was also the Last.

By Divemedic, ago

Chipping Away

Granted, this ruling has no real precedential value, but a Federal judge has said that marijuana users cannot have their 2A rights taken away. Essentially ruling that marijuana is commonly used, and using it isn’t an indicator of a propensity for violence, therefore making a user of the drug into a prohibited person is a step too far, in light of Bruen. That’s the second significant case this week.

That case is the gift that keeps on giving. The best part of this ruling is that the left will be torn: Support marijuana use, or oppose guns. What to do? LOL

By Divemedic, ago

Thousands of Rounds?

ATF should be called Agents That Fib. They are on the record as claiming someone with a Glock switch is capable of firing ‘thousands of rounds per minute’ from a Glock handgun. Anyone with gun knowledge knows that they are talking about cyclic rate when they say that a gun is firing 1,200 rounds per minute. That would require a weapon to have an unlimited supply of ammunition. It’s an attempt at dishonest manipulation of soccer moms.

“It turns a semi-automatic firearm into, essentially, a machine gun,” explained [ATF Agent] Estevan. “So, instead of one round being discharged from a firearm with the single pull of the trigger, when the switch is installed onto a firearm, you’re looking at 1,200 rounds with the single pull of the trigger within a minute.”

If you have to lie in order to make your point, perhaps your point isn’t worth making.

By Divemedic, ago

More on ATF rule

Reading the text of the rule, it appears like this rule declares that all AR pistols are now considered to be SBRs and must be registered. If a firearm has the surface area to be fired from the shoulder, such as a firearm equipped with a nonadjustable buffer tube, then that will be considered an SBR, basically making every AR-15 pistol and SBR. Read the text for yourself: (pdf alert)

Whether the surface area that allows the weapon to be fired from the shoulder is created by a buffer tube, receiver extension, or any other accessory, component, or other rearward attachment that is necessary for the cycle of operations

By Divemedic, ago

SB Tactical Gets Pwned

A company that makes pistol braces gets its customer database breached. There are four possibilities here:

  1. ATF was doing a little illegal sneak and peek so they know whose dogs to shoot
  2. ATF had one of their partner informants do it for them
  3. A freelance SJW is planning on outing everyone
  4. Criminals are just doing what they do

I am betting that the incident is either 2, above. Some lefty is going to anonymously notify the ATF that they have a list of lawbreaking owners of SBRs. Since the new rule outlawing unregistered pistol braces was published today, you have 120 days to register your (now) SBR or become a felon. Isn’t that a sweet little coincidence?

The miscreants got away with each user’s credit card number, expiration date, CCV code, cardholder name, address, phone number, and email address. If you have ever done business with SB tactical, you should consider all of that information as being compromised and in the possession of people who mean to steal your money, your life, or your freedom.

We know that the feds are now enlisting people in the private sector to do their unconstitutional dirty work. It can’t be too much longer before the informers are everywhere and people become vzyali.

On a side note, as of today I will no longer be in possession of a pistol brace equipped firearm. I am not registering shit.

By Divemedic, ago

Illinois Makes All Semiauto Rifles Illegal

How did they do that? Because of the overly broad wording of their new assault weapons ban (edited to clean up the text to make it more readable, but not change the wording):

(3) "Assault weapon" means:

(snip of irrelevant sections A and B)

(C) A semiautomatic rifle that can accept or can be modified to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one of the following:
(i) A folding, telescoping, or collapsible stock.
(ii) Any grip of the weapon, including a pistol grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other stock, the use of
which would allow an individual to grip the weapon, resulting in any finger on the trigger hand in
addition to the trigger finger being directly below any portion of the action of the weapon when firing.

emphasis added

Now picture any semiauto rifle you can think of. Now tell me which one, if any, sees the pinkie finger of the trigger hand not being below the action of the rifle.

Thus, all semiauto rifles in Illinois are now legally defined as assault weapons and are thus illegal to possess, transfer, or own.

By Divemedic, ago

Disappointing Range Day

So I decided to take the new 1911 with me to range morning. I arrived at the range with my EDC pistol, the new 1911, 100 rounds of 9mm, and some CCI Blazer in .45ACP. I setup my lane, loaded a magazine with 5 rounds of .45, and squeezed off the first mag full of ammo when I felt a tap on the shoulder. It was the range officer telling me that only brass cased ammo is permitted at the range. But if I wanted to buy some .45 ammo, they had some for sale at $40 a box.

American Eagle at 80 cents per round? I can buy that elsewhere for 54 cents per round, and can buy PMC brass cased at 46 cents per round. No thanks. I don’t want to sound like an old man, but I remember when .45ACP was $8 a box, and that wasn’t all that long ago.

I had to switch to the 9mm and finish my shooting for the morning. After I was done, I asked the RSO why the ammo restriction. It’s because the range sells the used brass to a recycler, and they can’t sell steel or aluminum cases. So not only do they sell the ammo at nearly double the going rate, but they are selling the brass and making more money there.

I would love to find another gun range, but this one is only 20 minutes from my house, and there is only one other range within a half an hour’s drive. That second range is owned by a dishonest meatsack that I wouldn’t trust to sell me a stick of gum. So I can either suck it up and get fleeced by the brass recycling buttheads at the range 20 minutes away, or I can make the 40 minute drive to the third closest range and see if they are any better.

At any rate, I am going to have to order me some brass cased .45 and try to shoot the new 1911 some other time.

By Divemedic, ago

Ask and Ye Shall Receive.

So I wanted a 1911 to play with before committing to buying an Ed Brown, and a Para USA Black Ops just happened to fall into my hands. For a pistol that is just a plaything, the price was right, at only $400.

It looks like it was hardly ever fired. Wear is consistent with a pistol that had maybe a box of ammo put through it, then was put in a nightstand drawer and never fired again.

  • The match barrel has no wear on the bluing.
  • There is a 2mm scuff on the bluing near the top of the slide.
  • The bluing is warn around the top of the only factory magazine I have for it. The other magazine that shipped with the handgun is apparently missing.
  • The bluing is a bit warn on the outsides of both safety levers, and on the points at the front on both sides of the slide, as if the pistol spend a lot of time sitting in a drawer.
  • On the contact points of both sides of the grip safety, the bluing has rubbed off.
  • There is gunpowder residue on the feed ramp and the breech face. The bluing on the locking lugs is quite worn, but the lugs are in good shape.
  • Most of the bluing is still present on the face of the hammer.

The only thing that I can find wrong with it, is the tritium sights no longer glow, but that isn’t surprising since Para USA was absorbed by Remington in 2012, and the Para pistols were discontinued in 2015.

This thing is a boat anchor, I mean it is heavy, weighing in at 42.2 ounces with an empty magazine inserted. That makes it 10 percent heavier than a GI model. The guy wanted a good price, so I took it. I will get some new sights for it and then take it for a spin.

By Divemedic, ago