July 24, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Parking Spot Duel Ruled Self Defense"-- Active Self Protection (11 min.)

• The shooting over a handicap parking space, which I discussed a few days ago, seems to be catching the attention of lot of people. In the video above, Active Self Protection goes through the shooting, hitting most of the same points as I did (great minds run in the same ruts), but also throwing in some additional information on Florida law as to defenses to a civil suit. Legal Insurrection also has an article on the subject, That article raises the same points as to the use of the firearm in self-defense:

       Based on the video footage of this confrontation, I expect a reasonable argument could be made that Drejka’s initial presentation of his handgun was lawful–he’d just been shoved hard to the ground without warning, put in a physical position from which unarmed self-defense would be extremely difficult especially against an attacker nearly half his age who still loomed angrily over him. It’s not hard to see how Drejka could have reasonably formed a reasonable perception of imminent serious bodily injury, which would warrant deadly defensive force.

       As often happens when a gun is presented in self-defense, however, here the initial aggressor (McGlockton) decided that he’d goofed in bringing his fists to a gun fight, and he immediately began moving backwards, distancing himself from Drejka. This ought to have been apparent to McGlockton during the two second pause between his pointing the gun and shooting. Had McGlockton maintained his position, and particularly if he had made any movement apparently consistent with continuing to attack Drejka, the fired shot may well have been warranted.

     Given that McGlockton was backing up, however, this strikes me as a scenario that plenty of prosecutors would be happy to present to a jury, and argue that the fired shot was not lawful, and which I expect in this instance plenty of police officers would determine at least created probably cause to believe that the shot was not lawful.

       Of course, there may well be facts not known to us that could have shaped the Sheriff’s conclusion to not arrest.

The author adds: 

... That, of course, is not the end of this matter, either criminally or civilly. The evidence is being presented to local prosecutors, who will decide whether to take the matter to trial, and the girlfriend of McGlockton, with whom she had three children, has already announced her intention to seek civil compensation ...

• "Russian Citizens Are Now Allowed to Reload Rifle Ammunition"--The Firearm Blog. Gun rights continue to expand in Russia, as the Duma has lifted restrictions prohibiting gun owners from reloading rifle ammunition (previously, only shot-shells could be reloaded). Sale of components will still be regulated, but ... well ... baby-steps. Of more potential interest is whether there will be new and better products developed for removing primers from cases using the Berden system. That is the typical primer system used in much of Europe, including Russia. Current methods employee a claw like instrument to puncture the primer and then pull it out (slow and doesn't always work); or using a ram and water in the case to use hydraulic pressure to blow the primer out (messy and slow). 
• "Israel to Further Embrace Armed Citizenry to Promote Public Safety"--Ammo Land. According to the article, the Israeli government is loosening the standards, somewhat, for qualifying for a firearms permit. The article quotes Knesset Member Amir Ohana as stating the reasoning behind the change:

A civilian who carries a gun is more of a solution than a threat, and serves as a force multiplier for the security forces. Even in the most optimistic scenario, we won't have a Special Ops unit in every neighborhood but during the terror wave we saw that skilled civilians save lives…. A law-abiding citizen with the basic necessary skills should be allowed to protect himself and his surroundings.

• "Review: SaltStick Electrolyte Caps"--Jerking The Trigger. Better than the old salt pills, but without the sugar of most sports drinks. The author relates:

       Basically, these are capsules that contain an electrolyte mix that mimics the types and amounts of electrolytes actually lost in sweat during 30-60 minutes of strenuous activity. I like to take one with my first drink of water and then take another every hour or two based on my activity level and how much water I am taking in. Since SaltStick Caps contain only electrolytes (no other nutrition or sugars), I am able to keep my electrolyte intake and nutrition intake separate which makes it easier for me to keep track. I make sure I am drinking water and periodically adding solid nutrition like fruit, nuts, granola bars, etc. and the capsules handle the rest.

       I don’t have any quantifiable lab results but I can offer some long term anecdotal evidence. These capsules have worked for me for more than 3 years. I deal with temps in the 90s and humidity below 20 percent during the summer months. If you hike, run a chainshaw for a few hours in protective gear, or do some training on the range in that kind of weather… you will need to be on your hydration game. I have not had a single dizzy/headache episode since I started using SaltStick and, for me, that is really saying something.

My favorite hydrations drink, when I was a missionary in Japan, was Pocari Sweat, but it wasn't sold in the United States. However, just Googling it, I see that it now is available through Amazon, and so I will have to order some to see if it lives up to my memories. 

• Liberals are getting their panties in a wad because Trump has threatened to revoke the security clearance of former intelligence officials. From the USA Today article:

       Sanders said the administration is reviewing clearances for former CIA director John Brennan, former FBI director director James Comey, former national intelligence director James Clapper, former CIA director Michael Hayden, former national security adviser Susan Rice and former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe.

       "They politicize and in some cases actually monetize their public service and their security clearances in making baseless accusations of improper contact with Russia," Sanders said.

Which is just a nice way of saying that their having a security clearance is what makes them a valuable commodity in the private sector. My view on the matter, even if Trump were revoking the clearances for petty reasons, is "so what." Do you know any business that, when someone quits or is fired, still allows them to access the business's computer networks or keep keys to the building? These clearances should have been pulled as a matter of course.

• Diversity comes to Toronto. Most of you have, by now, heard of the shooting outside a Toronto bar, which killed 2 and wounded at 13 others. The shooter, who died during an exchange of gun fire with police, has been identified as Faisal Hussain. He was from Pakistan and, of course, a "known wolf." Good job, RMCP! Canada has very strict gun laws, especially when it comes to owning handguns, which meant that the criminal was armed with a handgun, but none of the law abiding citizens. Good job liberal Canadians! In any event, the immediate cry is that there are too many handguns available to civilians in Canada as gun crime has been increasing, with some even suggesting that the gun crime is due to guns from the United States, or "ghost guns." 
• Diversity and gun control were both in action in London yesterday: "Khan’s London: ‘Possibly Turkish’ Gang Invades Home, Threatens Family with Machete, Rifle, and ‘Machine Gun’"--Breitbart. From the article:

Police say the home invaders, two described as “of Mediterranean appearance, possibly Turkish” and one as a “light-skinned black male”, were armed with a machete, a rifle, and “what was described as a machine gun”, and threatened to shoot the family of six — “including children and elderly family members” — if they did not hand over money and provide access to a safe.

But in a show of the typical incompetence of British law enforcement, DC Dave Reed, of the Metropolitan Police’s famous Flying Squad, told reporters that “We are unaware of a motive and would ask the community for assistance."

• Paging Colin Flaherty: "Two Arkansas teens, 18 and 16, 'murdered 71-year-old woman, dumped her body on a rural road and set her car on fire after kidnapping her from outside a T.J. Maxx'"--Daily Mail. 
• In what is becoming an increasingly common story, China continues its colonialism policy: "Chinese ‘Belt and Road’ Loans Cause Debt Crisis in Pakistan"--Breitbart.  The article reports:

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Pakistan is facing a debt crisis due to the enormous loans it has taken out for the Orange Line, an elevated railway in Lahore that is only the first installment in China’s $62 billion plan to bring its “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative to Pakistan.

• "The 'Mattel Gun' – History of the Venerable M-16 Rifle" by Doug Livermore at The Small Wars Journal. Another take on the history of this weapon system. The author asserts that the development of the AR15 began during the trials of the AR10, which I've never heard or read of before. 
• Some more firearms history: "The Grendel Pistols: The forgotten polymers (and the birth of Kel-tec)"--Guns.com. Grendel was essentially the forbearer of Kel-Tec. I had a Grendel P-12 at one time. Contrary to the what the author states in the article, the P-12 was so designated because you the magazine could carry 11 rounds (if you pushed really, really hard--I generally stuck to 10 rounds), with one in the pipe. It was a DAO .380 pistol that disposed of a drop safety by using a very light hammer that struck the firing pin at very high velocity in order to fire the weapon. Dropping the weapon, in theory, would not impart enough energy to the hammer to fire the weapon. Of course, the trigger pull was very heavy. And no one sold accessories, including holsters, for it other than the manufacturer. This pistol taught me the importance of buying weapons that have support from third party manufacturers. But the basic design was carried over into some of the Kel-Tec pistols.
• "In Defense of Israeli Carry"--The Truth About Guns. Israeli carry, if you don't know, is carrying a semi-automatic pistol with a loaded magazine, but no rounds loaded in the chamber. The draw technique is to draw the gun with the shooting hand, bring it up close to the chest where the non-shooting hand can grasp the slide, then extend the shooting hand forward whilst racking the slide all in one movement. You can either shoot single-handed or bring the empty hand forward to meet the other hand in gripping the weapon.  It is touted for its safety, but is slower (I know the author says it isn't, but back when this method was briefly popular in the U.S., there were several tests done that said otherwise) and if for some reason you have only one hand available, you are probably screwed. (There is an episode of the television show, Crossing Lines,  that has a good example of this). Each person must find the balance between safety and speed/access, but for most people, I suspect Israeli carry tips too heavily toward safety.
• "The benefits and detriments of ringed knives"--Load Out Room. Pros: better control and knife retention, easier to draw knife, easier to find your indexing on the handle, and the ring can be used as an impact weapon. Cons: harder to drop in a hurry and the ring can be used to trap or break the finger.
• What it is like to be demoted to peasant status: "WDFW resisted sending copter, sheriff to save woman treed by wolves"--Capital Press. Washington state wildlife officials debated for 45 minutes whether to allow rescuers to use a helicopter to save a women trapped by wolves for fear that the endangered animals might be injured. They finally allowed the rescue, and the animals fled as soon as the helicopter arrived.
• The wages of sin socialism: "In Venezuela, public buses give way to private 'dog carts'"--PRI. Not literal dog carts, but re-purposed cargo vehicles. The article explains:

       In this once-thriving industrial city as in much of the country, public buses have gradually disappeared due to scarce or prohibitively expensive tires, motor oil, batteries and spare parts.

       Cargo trucks of all shapes and sizes have taken their place, but most lack even basic safety protections for human cargo and are increasingly associated with accidents and injuries to passengers, a further sign of the deteriorating quality of life in the crisis-stricken country.

       The "dog carts," as they are informally known in Caracas, tend to squeeze standing passengers, mostly poor Venezuelans, into the backs of the large vehicles.

• A reminder that we live in the 21st Century: "F-35 Engine Upgrade Would Enable Directed Energy Weapons"--Aviation Week. From the article:

        Pratt & Whitney is refining its proposed upgrade path for the F135 Joint Strike Fighter engine to include increased power and thermal management system (PTMS) capability following feedback on its initially proposed upgrade package from the F-35 Joint Program Office.

       Additional power and thermal management capability will enable the use of directed energy weapons and other advanced offensive and defensive systems and, if approved, would feature in an upgrade package called Growth Option 2.0 (GO2). Pratt & Whitney, which would roll PTMS into a suite of compressor and turbine enhancements originally proposed in the first upgrade package, G01, says the complete upgrade could be available within four years of getting the official go-ahead.