Don't Bring A Knife To A Gunfight

I've had two electrical fires in breaker boxes that were done by licensed electricians and inspected I was aware enough to catch both before they burn down the house.

I have. I've left the juveniles to their play, without my interference.

Cheers! Rich

Noble thoughts! (sorry, couldn't resist)

Thuggery will never be eliminated, but I'm all for reducing it. Suggestions?

Prayer?

There's no federal prohibition against CCW in banks, and it's legal in MN unless the bank posts otherwise. I know of none that do.

I was thinking about a little math problem while driving to the range today.

In states that must issue CCW permits, typically about 2% of the population have them. In a random population of people, as perhaps in a store, how many must be present for there to be better than even odds of at least one having a CCW? Answer: 35.

The math: if prob of any person having CCW is .02, then prob of him or her not having one is .98. Prob of x people having CCW is .98^x. If .98^x => .50, then x => 34.3.

The drive to the range was almost as enjoyable as the shoot. Fall colors, glowing gold maples, flaming red oaks, blue sky, 70 degrees, no traffic, window open, perfect!

I even shot pretty well for me. 50 feet, .45ACP (1911), 50 rounds, LTR-II silhouette (used by law enforcement at 21 feet), all but 3 hits in the max score zone. Had one flyer that hit clear outside the color, got me a zero and put a bullet hole in one of my target support

1x2 sticks. Sigh!

Clocked some handloads for my neighbor, who doesn't have a chronograph and who has to go to work on lovely autumn weekdays, poor sod. Max recommended load with that bullet and powder clocks quite conservatively (and in excellent agreement with Quickload software internal ballistics simulation prediction) so he (and she) will be safe as houses with that load.

Situational awareness is just a buzzword for payin' attention. It doesn't connote fear, just alert awareness. Payin' attention! If payin' attention detects a situation that might portend a problem, one's state might shift from placid to mildly anxious and paying focussed attention rather than relaxed alertness. And so on, there's lots written on the subject. Col Cooper's color code, etc.

' attention is a good habit anyway. Photographers and artists see things many miss simply because they pay attention and become aware of interesting situations of light, color, composition, texture, etc.

We had a Cessna 185 land right in front of us in Virgin River Gorge I-15, mile marker 22, Arizona one day. Out of all the real estate within a 100 mile radius, he had a few tiny threads, and he did one fine job.

I'd say he was a good pilot, but he left St. George for Las Vegas, without enough gas. We were second on the scene, and he was just sitting on the freeway, pretty as you please. He made a radical bank, then a tremendous drop, and I expected to see a crumpled heap once we topped the hill. But he was okay. I wonder how much that tank of gas cost him.

Steve

I am an ex safety man with PTSD. Sometimes it's a real bother, but at other times, when stuff happens, I just like to look at the situation and think what might have been had I not been so vigilant and redundantly safe.

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.

Very good points. And the more one has been in those situations, the easier it is to know what to watch for, and where the unexpected comes in.

As lots of people can attest, a lot of accidents occur when they are just "not paying attention."

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.

And even with vigilance the pooch can get screwed at the drop of a hat.

Mandatory execution for anyone using a gun when committing a crime.

Mandatory execution for anyone committing a crime!

Anywhere on earth? Politicians & big corporations?

Zero-tolerance laws about thuggery would include a suitable application of high-speed metallic (lead/copper) components shared freely with the perps.

-- You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. --Jack London

Dinna work. I believe that tolerance is out, too, for obvious reasons. More cheese checks have _got_ to work, eh?

-- You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. --Jack London

Thugs and gentlemen think differently. Thugs are only concerned with what might happen to them (get shot, get arrested, get jailed, etc.). Gentlemen behave based on rules, laws, and consideration.

So, in order to keep thugs in line, it's necessary to have actual, real life consequences. And preferably instant ones. In order to do that, gentlemen or their hired servants (such as guards or police) need to be armed, and prepared to deliver instant consequence.

As to being armed. A thug will use a weapon to injure others, or abuse power. A gentleman will use a weapon to prevent, stop, or slow down such an abuse.

But not in schools or government buildings! There, the thugs have free rein.

I've heard the FAA fines people severely for highway landings. Maybe he had a cell phone, and could call AAA to bring him some gasoline. Some small planes will fly on 87 no lead.

By firing squad, of course? That's a consequence that thugs can understand.