Tuesday : November 10 : 2009

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Editor's Notebook: Half Staff

by Rich Grassi

I'd rather do anything than write this instead of the usual "day before Veteran's Day" piece. The events at Fort Hood last week and the response to it have been such that we need to straighten this out. There are some common threads we see in the response from the fuzzy-headed left-leaning media machine, what we see coming from the actual investigation and what is coming from kids who have been there or are going.

To start with, it's reported that the offender used an FN 5.7 pistol and that he had a .357 revolver. That started the old "oh my God! Will we never learn" chorus from the gun-control-goombahs. Add to it that an officer at the scene said the 5.7 had a laser aimer on it. "That makes it more deadly," we can hear them say. No, it makes it more fun for the family cat or dog to play "chase the dot."

We need to withhold judgment and not jump to conclusions - after we receive that directive, more information about Hasan's religious-political convictions hemorrhages out.

The PTSD is causing all this. We might point out that the killer was tasked with preventing such things by treating the afflicted.

We have young people crying out that, as soldiers, they're not supposed to be the sheep. They say they exist to protect us, and, sadly, someone else had to come in and stop the killing.

We can't address everything here. Let's examine some of the stuff we're most qualified to discuss.

A more comprehensive expose of the 5.7 as a 'cop-killer' is available at Chuck Hawks' Handgun Information Page (http://www.chuckhawks.com/5-7x28_cop_killer.htm). Let it suffice to say that I had a 5.7 pistol for T&E. It worked and it seemed satisfactory in many ways. I'd have tried to keep it but I didn't need a 20-round trail gun.

Trail gun? Yes. The 5.7x28mm cartridge is only slightly more powerful than the 1959-issue .22 WMR, Wichester Magnum Rimfire, also known as the .22 Magnum. When I say slightly, I mean slightly. Barr Soltis, reporting on Chuck's page, noted that the 5.7 is only about 21 foot-pounds energy more energetic than the .22 Magnum, keeping format similar (SMG to rifle, auto pistol to revolver). Of the loads Hasan would have been able to get, the most kinetic energy his gear could have yielded per round is around 216 fpe.

The FN 5.7, shown with U.S. civilian-legal ammo has only slightly more power than the .22 Rimfire Magnum introduced in 1959, is again under attack by gun control zealots - attempting to deflect attention away from the terrorist attack at Ft Hood TX.

In the old days, the .38 Special 158 grain round nose lead "police standard" (i.e., "widow maker") load, gave a muzzle energy of around 200 foot-pounds energy at the muzzle. Now, that's a real "cop killer" bullet, but not in the way CBS would have you believe. I'm not sure what DoD Police carry, but the 9mm is generally in 330-400 fpe territory, depending on load (NATO ball is around 338 fpe, I believe).

Having shot the FN 5.7 pistol and having shot .22 Magnum from a revolver, I can tell you this - you can't feel the difference in power from shooting them side by side. In fact, in our limited testing, the target can't tell the difference either.

So much for "super guns that need to be banned." What's the real problem?

We'd note that Major Disaster was able to get a gun - hardly the "cop-killer" masturbatory fantasy the liberal media clowns would have people believe - and we are not happy he was able to arm himself. But he had to pass the NICS check. NICS is the National Instant Check System - a background check run by FBI. FBI, the same people who'd already been alerted to Hasan's internet traffic and anti-American rhetoric . . . and he still got the gun!

Any alarm bells going off now? No? Do you still buy the argument that the devil (gun) made him do it?

Someone pointed out that, while distressed to believe it, it was apparent that the left-leaning machine has been quietly hoping for a mass shooting so to be able to add "sensible restrictions on easy availability of evil-assault-chipmunk-killing-devices from Islamofascists - or anyone else except our friends." The correspondent went on to add that the present case is full of problems for our right honorable opponents.

It's too bad. The real issue is obvious to us all: This is what happens in "gun free zones."

I got out of the Army almost 35 years ago. On one guard post, I was issued an axe handle to enforce no trespassing. I was hoping I didn't end up wearing it. On another, I got a real 1911A1 pistol. It'd seen better days. I was given one five-round magazine (Hey, sure you can spare it?) and the admonition, "Don't chamber a round! It's an Article 15 if you do!"

Well, I thought, just keep it then. I was smart enough to keep the pie hole buttoned and went off to my post.

Army posts then were the most unarmed places on earth. Oh sure, there was artillery, all kinds of explosive devices, ammo, machine guns, rifles - none where you could get to them when needed, oh and never loaded.

Nothing is as worthless (and dangerous) as the unloaded firearm.

So, in this gun free zone, this possible religious zealot - or nutjob who didn't want to live up to his commitments and who used his religion as an excuse - brought guns and he shot people. Finally someone with a gun - decidedly loaded - arrived and brought peace to the valley. Peace was brought to the valley by shooting the idiot Hasan full of holes. That's how peace happens; the predator is destroyed or driven away.

Gun free zones are criminal empowerment zones. They are posted by fearful, incompetent fools who'd rather you be a victim than for them to look foolish. Well, they're looking foolish now. There is 100% gun control there. You are 100% at the mercy of anyone who shows up armed with murder in his heart in the criminal empowerment zone. We don't need gun control - except to visually identify the target, control the trigger and make the hits. That's the only gun control we need.

If it's the Armed Forces, they need to be Armed. All the time. Forever. Outside the shower or being asleep in your bunk, you carry 24/7/365. If you don't want to be a victim, don't be. It's your choice.

If being armed is a problem or you're afraid of people with guns, go join the Peace Corps. Good luck with that.

 

Skill Set: Combat Vision

by Tiger McKee

We are visually oriented creatures, with eyes in the front of our head. We rely on our vision to inform us on what is happening in our environment; 90% of our environmental awareness is gained through sight. We need to visually assess a situation in order to determine what our response should be. The problem is our natural instinct to intensely focus on the source of trouble. Our field of focus narrows, mentally and visually, concentrating on the immediate danger. To fight effectively, especially with firearms, you must train and practice to overcome this natural reaction.

You're walking through a parking lot when you cue in on possible trouble. You keep an eye on the potential threat, but at the same time you need to be looking for an escape route and objects you can use for cover. You also should be scanning for other threats, because as Clint Smith says, "Bad guys travel in packs." And not all the bad guys are dumb, so they may not all be bunched together. Check your flanks and rear for accomplices.

Maybe the situation degrades to the point that you must shoot to stop the threat. You'll probably be armed with your pistol, which has iron sights, so you have to shift your visual focus from the threat to the front sight, to the degree necessary required to make the hits. While firing, although focused on the sight, we still have maintain awareness of our environment. What are the people around us doing? Pay attention to any other possible threats that may be present. If there are bystanders in the area you must keep an eye on them as well. You don't want to injure someone who decides to run between you and the threat while you're shooting. And yes, this does happen.

Once the threat is down or gone, you're moving and scanning for other threats. Remember every time you take a step, moving to cover, creating distance, or withdrawing from the area, you're point of view is changing - in a 360 degree arc. Your head should be on a swivel, with the eyes quickly scanning anywhere that could contain a threat.

Our visual skills, just like any other fighting skill, can be improved with practice. For example you can look at one object, and still pay attention to your peripheral vision. It's like those 3-D pictures, where you have to un-focus your eyes to actually see the object in the pattern. By looking at nothing, I see everything. It's also important to pay attention to reflective surfaces. Next time you're out somewhere, look at all the shiny stuff around you and you'll be amazed at what all you can see without even turning your head.

Fighting is about using your eyes, but don't neglect your other senses, especially that sixth sense. When you feel like something isn't right, it's time to pay attention. The sooner you spot trouble, the quicker you can win the fight.

Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns, a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. (256) 582-4777 www.shootrite.org