21Nov05

TSA Story, from a LEO friend in WA:

"Detective ________ and I flew to San Diego last week to pick up a murder suspect who was caught trying to cross the border into Mexico. Getting the re was no problem, but after picking up our prisoner, we went to the airport a t San Diego and met with TSA people.

We presented our credentials, including badges, letter from the chief, etc. We were then taken to the 'by-pass' room. The TSA guy found all our paperwork in order and then said, 'So, will both you officers be tra veling armed?' I explained to him that only I was armed, and that Detective _______ was not, as he would be sitting next to the prisoner. 'So, Detective _______ does not have a gun?' was the reply. I assured him that was correct.

'Is there a problem?' I asked.

The TSA guy replied, 'If he is not armed, he will have to go back t hrough the inspection line.'

'But, we have all the paperwork here. He is AUTHORIZED to be armed !'

'Yes, but since he is not armed, he has to be inspected for dangerou s items.

'But he is AUTHORIZED to carry dangerous items!"

'But, because he's NOT carrying anything dangerous, he has to be inspected. '

I thought about arguing further, but I suddenly remembered that I was dealing with a federal employee. Detective _______ dutifully went through the line as I, and the prisoner, waited for him on the other side.

The prisoner commented, 'This is the stupidest thing I ever heard o f!' I nodded in agreement."

Comment: TSA positively gets off on harassing local cops. But, the greater

harm is this: Stupid "rules," enforced by mindless, anti-i ntellectual, arrogant government agents, degrades respect for the entire body of law and for all government agents. In doing indefensible, senseless things as describe d above, TSA performs no good service.

/John

21Nov05

ACOG into the sun:

"I tested a DPMS AR-15 yesterday. Rifle ran fine, but I was shootin g almost directly into the setting sun. Iron sights worked fine. However, when I mounted an ACOG and attempted to continue, I discovered light spalling was sufficient to wash out the target. I could see the sighting pyramid just f ine, but nothing else!"

Comment: It's not just the ACOG. All rifle optics have an issue whe n shooting at a target with a strong light source close to it. Many have ass ured me that iron sights are obsolete. Not yet!

/John

21Nov05

Info on rifle optics, from a student and operator:

"Like you, I love Aimpoints, ACOGs, and scout scopes, but there is a critical weaknesses that is shared by everything with glass, and it must be

acknowledged and dealt with during realistic training. Many of us carry rifl es (car guns) in vehicles. When the outside temperature drops, these rifles, and th eir attached optics, get cold. When one must subsequently retrieve the rifle an d then enter a heated building, the optics will fog instantly, rendering them

temporarily useless. Moving back into the cold will cause the fog to turn to frost.

Training under all foreseeable the environmental conditions will help eliminate painful, operational surprises!"

Comment: Once again, none of these issues are shared by iron sights.

/John