09Sept05 Thompson Carbine At an Urban Rifle Course this week, a student brought a Auto-Ordinance Thompson Carbine, manufactured now by Kahr. It was beautiful! Came with two, thirty-round sticks and one fifty-round drum in a nice case. It fires from a closed bolt. Unfortunately, it would not function! Maximum number of rounds we could get through it without a failure to feed was five. Neither of the sticks nor the drum would feet reliably. We used several different brands of ammunition, mostly hardball, and it would not feed any of it. It was a great disappointment for its owner, who is sending it back. One again, this is a gun I would like to like, but what I saw was unsatisfactory! /John

09Sept05

Simmunitions Guns and "Classroom" Guns:

Both Glock and SIG make dedicated Simmunitions pistols and non-firing =9C classroom" guns, and I think any other gun manufacturer who plans on competing seriously for institutional sales needs to have these two items in its inve ntory.

Simmunitions pistols need to have blue frames, so their identity can be instantly established, even when they are holstered. That prevents functio nal pistols from being inadvertently carried into a Simmunitions exercise, and it also prevents a Simmunitions pistol from being inadvertently carried on dut y. Simmunitions conversion "kits" are far less satisfactory, a s using them invariably invites Simmunitions guns and functional guns to become mixed in with each other. It is my opinion that Simmunitions pistols need to be dedicate d to that purpose and be permanently unconvertible to functionality.

"Classroom" pistols, or =80=9CRed Guns,=E2=80=9D are non- firing, but otherwise fully functional, simulators that can be safely used in a classroom setting. The y are handy for teaching gun-handling skills, including field stripping and user-level maintenance, without having to consume a range in the process. Again, the frame must be a distinctive color (red is the industry standard), and t he pistol must be permanently unconvertible to full functionality.

Manufacturers consider producing and marketing these two items to be an expensive nuisance, but they have no choice. Any gun manufacturer that doe s not offer them cannot be considered a serious competitor. If we are to train officers properly, we need them!

/John

09Sept05

Advice on natural disasters, from a friend in the Phillippines:

"A side 'benefit' of living in a country that is in the middle of the typhoon belt is that we learn to prepare for such scenarios early in life. In each house, it is normal to have an adequate stock of food, water, medicati ons, and other critical necessities, such as flashlights, radios, and batteries. Many choose diesel, all-wheel-drive SUVs, even for city use. They will for d deep water, and the diesel engine gets you good distance on a single tank o f fuel.

We also don't wait too long to define 'the full extent of th e threat.' We get out of harm's way early, on the assumption that enduring the inc onvenience of a 'false alarm' is better than getting stuck in the path of a killer storm.

We have little looting here, as looters are afraid they will get shot when they attempt to steal during a crisis. They are right. They will get shot! W e are known to share what we have during a time of calamity, but we are also famous for protecting what we cannot share.

We are called 'Third World,' and maybe we are. But, our hars h experiences have taught us that we cannot expect anyone to 'take care' o f us, and, only when you take care of yourself, can you be effective in taking care of othe rs."

Lesson: Good advice. If the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock had the attitude of many Americans today, they would still be standing there with their hand ou t!

/John