11Dec05

SA's trouble with tourists:

"Forty German travel agents were robbed at gunpoint in their bus in Cape Town's Khayelitsha Township Wednesday night. Two armed men entered the gro up's stationary tour bus and demanded money. The travel agents, who are on a week-long educational/promotional visit to South Africa, were in the countr y as guests of SA's Tourism Bureau. All had been assured that SA=80 s reputation for a high level of violent crime had been 'greatly exaggerated.=80

A spokesman for the Tourism Bureau said he was 'deeply concerned =99 with the incident."

Comment: SA's new draconian gun laws have apparently failed to deliv er on the promise of a lowered rate of violent crime! I don't think any o f these travel agents are going to recommend SA as a tourist destination.

/John

11Dec05

Christmas Shopping, from a friend and Instructor on the East Coast:

"My wife rarely carries. I, of course, do. We started our annual Christmas shopping day on Saturday. We went separate ways, making arrangements to meet for lunch at a local restaurant. Coordination was via cell phone.

Mid-morning, my wife called and advised that she would be fifteen minutes late for lunch. However, her phone, which had started the day with only a half charge, died during our conversation. Our young daughter was with her.

While I was waiting at the restaurant, my daughter came in alone and advise d me that "mommy was sick" in the car. I rushed out to the pa rking lot and found my wife suffering an from vertigo, induced by heavy perfume smells in

the department store where she had been shopping. She was nauseous and on the verge of vomiting, unable to get out of the car.

I gave her an Antivert and waited there with her until it began to work. I n the interim, I charged her cell phone battery via the charger I keep in my vehicle. As the weather was pleasant, we decided I would take the children

back to the restaurant for lunch, while she rained in the car. I left her my back-up pistol (Kahr-9).

I learned my lesson! A cell-phone battery, one-half charged, is inadequate

to get one through a busy day! A cell-phone battery charger in every vehicl e is a must. We only had one, in my car. We never considered it necessary to

have one in her vehicle. We know better now!"

Lessons: Emergency/safety equipment needs to be well maintained and checked

regularly. It is all too easy to let slide things like regular battery charging. Dead phones can be more than a just a nuisance!

Back-up pistols are critical, not just for the carrier, but for the otherwise unarmed person whom the carrier may have to quickly arm in an eme rgency.

/John

11Dec05

ND story, from a friend with a corrections dept:

"We two ND's here last week. An officer was preparing to 'tu rn in' her pistol (G17). She stood in front of the clearing barrel and attempted to u nload. She removed the weapon from the holster, pointed it at the barrel, cycled the slide (ejecting the chambered round), released the slide (chambering another), and then pressed the trigger. The weapon, of course, discharged.

Astonished, she then re-cycled the slide and pressed the trigger again! To her chagrin and amazement, the weapon discharged a second time.

At this point, an armorer came out and relieved her of the pistol. This officer is new, having been with us only a few weeks."

Comment: What is so clear and obvious to us instructors is not always clear

to students. This officer got her sequence mixed up during the unloading process. In addition, she left out the final step and failed to physically

check the pistol before attempting to "dry fire." Adequatel y detailed explanations and sufficient repetitions are the key to competent instruction , but, when we're racing the clock, sometimes students, like this one, get left behind.

Not all who carry guns are "gunmen," just as not all boat ow ners are mariners. Our goal should to be produce gallant, competent, professional g unmen, not merely timid, amateurish, occasional gun carriers.

/John