Thursday : April 2 : 2009

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Editor's Notebook

By Rich Grassi

A plea of guilty has been rejected in a gun theft case. This isn't your typical residential or car burglary where a gun was stolen as part of the crime. It isn't even being litigated, as far as we know, at the state level - it's a federal beef.

The AP and the Greenwood Commonwealth (Mississippi) reported that in 2005 and 2006, 90 pounds of marijuana, 11 pistols and 5 "machine guns" were stolen from the Greenwood MS police department. The crime was allegedly perpetrated by inmates with involvement of a member of a county road crew - that individual attempting to plead guilty to some of the charges in the federal case. A number of indictments have issued and "more arrests are expected" according to the news.

The five "machine guns" are reportedly Colt M16 assault rifles (yes, the M16 is an assault rifle - this isn't an invention of the Consolidated Lunatic Gungrabbers Association.) What were the offenders going to do with all this firepower? Why, the story alleges, they were going to sell the artillery in gun-friendly Chicago - a place with as many gun control laws per square inch as nearly any locality in America!

If there is so much gun control in Chicago, doubtless making it one of the safest cities in America, why do these folks think they can sell such death dealing gear there? Because (1) the guns are stolen - already criminal, and (2) there are so many gun crimes in Chicago (see, those laws do serve a purpose), which means they have more gun criminals, hence more of a market for their wares.

I'm just glad this stolen bounty wasn't headed for our border with Mexico! That would help with the argument that drug violence in that beleaguered country is caused by the U.S. A.

Oh, that's right, it's the legal guns that cause problems; the ones acquired through the 'straw purchase' procedure we spoke of before. Wait, those aren't "legal guns" either - the straw purchase is a violation of federal statute.

See how gun control laws prevent violent crime? No?

Me either.

The press accounts have a quote from the Greenwood Police Chief that most of the guns have been recovered. We heave a sigh of relief.

There are already enough guns in Chicago. And in Mexico.

 

Skill Set: Fast Or Quick?

Editor's Note: Got a question for Tiger? Ask away! Guns, gear and techniques are all fair game. Send your question to info@thetacticalwire.com and we'll get it in front of Tiger for his examination and possible placement in his column. Personal responses aren't guaranteed, but if your question is interesting you may see the response to it in Skill Set.

by Tiger McKee

When training and practicing, one of our worst enemies is 'fast.' When we try to go fast, for example performing an empty reload, we end up fumbling things and making mistakes. By attempting to go fast, it actually takes longer to perform the reload than it would have if it had been done at the proper speed. The 'proper' speed is one that guarantees the action is executed correctly. No mistakes, no fumbling, and no wasted motion. Quickness isn't about going fast, it's the absence of excess, and ultimately it relies on mental balance.

Watch someone who is really good at what they do. It looks like they are moving slowly and without effort. They get things done quickly, and efficiently, because there is no wasted motion or unnecessary actions. Their skill is a result of repetition, doing the same thing over and over, until it becomes natural. They have mentally confidence in their abilities, and their physical performance reflects this.

When you try to go fast, you're forcing something to happen, as opposed to letting it happen. It might feel like you're going fast, but this is a deception created by an abundance of activity. To accomplish a task quickly, you slow down and do it properly. Let's look at the empty reload again. Your pistol runs empty. Keep the arms extended and the muzzle on target, with your head and eyes maintaining visual contact with the threat(s) or environment. The support hand acquires a fresh mag while the empty mag is dumped to the ground. The new mag comes up, is indexed in the mag well and seated, and the slide is cycled to chamber a round. Any other actions just add time to the process.

When learning new techniques - training - we must slow the mind down to a speed that is comfortable for the body, actually thinking through each step of the process. This can be a problem because our mind cycles through a process faster than our body is capable of performing that action. When the body can't keep up, the mind thinks things are going too slow, and we attempt to catch up by going faster. This compounds the problem causing mistakes, we try to catch up by going faster, and it just goes downhill from there.

Once we have a good grasp on a skill, we improve our abilities through practice. If you try to push for speed during practice, you won't actually learn the proper technique, and without proper technique you'll never be as quick as you should be. Slow down and concentrate on form, performing actions properly, and let quickness develop as a result of proper practice.

Success in a fight depends on applying fundamental skills under stress, and in a compressed time frame. The ability to apply these skills, quickly with speed, results from practicing the proper technique. Learn to function under stress, use proper technique, and strive for error-free actions. This is what wins fights.

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