5 June 01

Another sad story from South Africa. This is where the antigun people are taking us:

"A month ago, I was directed to take possession of a lady customer's CZ 75 Compact (9mm). The government had declared her ‘unfit to possess a firearm' and ordered her to surrender it. She had drawn her pistol and shot and killed a dog that was attacking her young child as the two were walking in a local park. This incident happened in a ‘town area' where carrying and discharging of weapons is prohibited. All the appeals to common sense naturally fell on the deaf ears of the bureaucrats, who yawned their way through the entire appeals process, which was an exercise in futility from the beginning. In the process, I got to know her fairly well. She was a good person.

Last week, she went for a walk up the mountain (near George, SA). She never returned. Her body was found yesterday. She had been bound, slashed with knives and sexually mutilated. She was, of course, unarmed. Local government officials expressed ‘deep, personal concern.'"

Lesson: We are all "beans." Every bureaucrat knows two things about beans. (1) Beans all look alike, and (2) You can always get more beans. When we look to them for protection, the forgoing is what we can expect.

/John

5 June 01

More sage NTI 11 comments and observations. This from my friend and colleague, Claude Werner

"1) At non-contact distances (=>3 feet), chances of getting a decent hit on a moving human without using the sights is pretty slim. Point shooting is pretty much worthless when shooter or shootee is moving. ‘Body indexing' completely falls apart.

"2) If you have the physical capability and the situation permits, running laterally or obliquely makes you a difficult target even for a good shooter.

3) Target fixation (not checking behind you) is a habit that builds very easily on a flat range and requires a lot of deliberate practice to overcome. I am going to incorporate it into my dryfire routine as another necessary aspect of gun handling.

4) Integrating firearms and vehicles is more difficult than you think.

5) Use OC early and often. I was glad I had it and glad I used it as much as I did."

/John