Unsafe Safes

Safes are one of the most commonly purchased accessories for firearms. Be they full size rack safes or small hanging units.

When gun owners purchase a safe, they do so usually for one of two reasons.

1) To protect their firearm from theft.

2) To protect young family members from gaining unsupervised access.

But how would you feel as a gun owner if you found out that your gun safe could easily be opened by a 3 year old or a thief?

Uncomfortable yet?

This article details an investigation into a number of safes which were easily opened by small children. Often with such simple endeavors as just trying to lift one end of the safe and dropping it. Imagine if that was all that kept your toddler from wielding your loaded handgun?

As a father, that thought makes me very very uncomfortable.

Story here with video

The story above features a video which is disturbing in it’s simplicity at times. Sadly, this investigation was inspired in part from the tragic death of a 3 year old son of a law enforcement officer. Who was trusting the Stack-on safe to keep his family safe.

What is more disturbing, when the investigators approached Stack-on for comment, they were very dismissive. This is something I experienced when dealing with a potential design issue for a DeSantis Nemesis holster. In which the retort was “We’ve sold thousands of those holsters and haven’t ha a problem.” But when it comes to guns, one problem is enough to feed our enemy’s cause for years. And maybe you have more than one problem. You’re just not listening because you’re arrogant twits. And are missing all the warning signs for a potential tragedy.

A few things I would recommend when it comes to small safes based on the above article:

1. Do the drop test. The lifting one side up and dropping as demonstrated in the video. This is something you could do with a store display model. If it fails, show the store manager. Manufacturers will change when they start receiving merchandise back.

2. A lot of these techniques are eliminated if the safe is securely mounted. Consider bolting the safe to a structural element.

3. Consider a larger higher end safe when feasible.

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I do want to ad that I differentiate between various locksmithing techniques used in the authors videos (such as determining combination of combination locks via slips of plastic) vs inherent failures of security as simple as raising and dropping a safe and moving the solenoid mechanism.

The former requires some level of training and is expected to be beyond the means of a toddler. Where as the latter requires zero training or insight and is easily achieved via basic toddler play activities.

Future Arrives Sooner… 3D Printed Firearm

Extreme Tech is covering what it’s calling as the “World’s First 3D Printed Gun”, an AR style pistol firing .22 LR.

 

Some caveats, the firearm is using a standardized upper and a real barrel.  So it’s really more so the actual use of a home manufactured lower. Which for an AR is in fact the “registered component” of the firearm. The schematics are available for download. This is just even more evidence on the fire that my post just the other day exclaiming magazine capacity bans and the like is ineffective. 

http://blog.nugun.org/2012/07/23/why-gun-control-advocates-just-dont-get-it/

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For those who look at 3D printing and duplication as a future Utopia. I highly recommend reading “The Lord of Uffts” (Duplicators) by Murray Leinstar, found in the collection of short stories titled A Logic Named Joe, also a fun read for IT folk as it models computers and the internet quite well considering it was written in the 1940’s

BTW, Baen books has A Logic Named Joe as a free download along with many others including 1632. (A fun read if you’ve ever pondered the effect a shotgun would have in warfare in the 1600’s.)

Blogger Burnout…

Recent posts by Sebastian and Say Uncle address “blogger burnout”.

• http://www.pagunblog.com/2012/07/25/on-blogging-fatigue/
• http://www.saysuncle.com/2012/07/24/on-the-blogging/#comments

I’m a small fish in the pond, I have my small cadre of readers and fans. Truth be told, I think a lot of things have changed in just the past 3-4 years.

1. A lot more people are blogging, news events are often covered by many more individuals. It takes a lot of work to catch wind of things and get a post up ASAP. Often I’ll have links or posts I want to make, but it takes a day or so to get to it. Then said news item has already been shared.
    
2. Mainstream news has been changing as well. We’re seeing a little bit more variety of news style.
    
3. We’re winning….it’s almost strange; the fact that you can come across a well written accurate article on guns in mainstream media today (on rare occasion). The fact that a tragic incident involving guns did not raise a clamour for gun control from ordinary citizens but sky rocketed gun sales by 40%.

   The point being, it’s a different society than just 4 years ago.
    

4. It can be discouraging – I don’t make money from this site. Oh, the occasional person uses the link on the side to sign up for NRA. It’d be nice if that covered my hosting, domain name fee, etc. It doesn’t. Which just about covers my domain name & privacy fees.

   And sometimes it’s hard seeing your blog decline in google searches, hits, etc. I watched a top post that was sending 40-70 hits a day decline to 30 hits. But you know what, it’s position in google got replaced by another blogger’s excellent post on the topic. And that is GOOD!!!
    

5. The original intent of my blog, and I still try to do this when possible, was to share knowledge as I acquire it; and to support the 2nd Amendment. The truth is, with 3 little kids and a 100+ mile daily commute I have very little time to go to the range. The result, I have been experiencing less as of late, learning less as of late, and have less to share on my blog primary focus. Yeah, I’m letting you guys down – sorry.

A while ago, I made the decision that I’ll just blog as and when I can, often times in spurts. I’d love to be able to manage the consistency (and quality) that Sebastian and Bitter put out. All said, I am very glad to still be a member of this community.

Thanks all…

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Sebastian mentioned a blogger site. I’ve thought another option might be to have a WordPress plugin that helped link a circle of folks. Essentially, other WordPress based gun bloggers could add the plugin. It’d offer a few things.

• List of resources: (ie: NRA, Organizations, etc)
• List of States and their Carry Laws & reciprocity.
• A running feed of posts, with the option of a thumbs up/down and perhaps a tag system that would consolidate similar posts.

I don’t know if that would be something people would be interested in…but I think it could be neat.

Why Gun Control Advocates…just don’t “Get it!”

In this article, the gun control advocate is calling for restrictions on large capacity magazine (ie: 100-200 round drums). But he doesn’t stop there. He advocates for the 10 round magazine limit. He is unaware that in the near future this will be an impossible mandate.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/23/opinion/webster-aurora-shooter/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7

You see, a few years ago an emergent technology shook the media world. “Digital Media” which allowed  perfect copies to be cloned from originals be it a song, film, or book.  What most do not realize is that same revolution is approaching for physical objects.

The gun control advocate wants a ban on large magazines. But what if I told you that in 10 years, anyone could just “print” their magazine?  Sound outrageous?

It’s not…see this one….
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2011/09/21/welcome-to-the-future-print-yourself-an-ar-15-magazine-at-home/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheFirearmBlog+%28The+Firearm+Blog%29

But does it stop at magazines?  What about printing an the components of a firearm itself?
http://www.pagunblog.com/2011/11/17/cnc-machining-an-ar-15-lower/

The future of accessibility to firearms may be as simple as a barrel and a computer file with a 3D document and assembling all the parts.  When you think ahead to the future, you find that such restrictions will fast become ineffective.

“we should reflect on why the U.S. has a murder rate that is nearly seven times higher than the average murder rate in other high-income countries and a nearly 20 times higher murder rate with guns”

We should reflect…and I have to wonder how much of the synthesized drug trade contributes to this rate. I think the prohibition fuels much of the gang violence.

As for the deranged individual who goes on a rampage. I think that’s a more complex matter. And often it’s a matter of conflict with HIPAA regulations, stringent laws and striking the right balance.

“In most states, a person with a long history of arrests and convictions for misdemeanors (often pleaded down from felony charges), prior restraining orders for domestic violence and history of drug and alcohol abuse can own”

I believe this is related to our judicial systems and legislature’s failure. You see we had two classes of crimes. Misdemeanors and felonies.  The former were to be for more minor or inconsequential issues. Those that did not involved violence and predation. The latter were for more serious and violent actions.  They brought with them stiffer penalties.  Well, we started to expand everything into felonies.  And we’ve blurred the line between misdemeanor and felony.

I actually advocate that we need a third category. One that denotes a crime as a violent aggressive act of predation. And this is the class for which one’s rights should be lost.  I believe a lot more of our problem lies on the side of judicial process rather than legislation. If the most fundamental law that a violent felon shall not possess a firearm is seldom prosecuted. Why waste any effort on additional legislation until that one is strictly enforced?

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And in other news worthy of a full news article. A two bit actor on a long dated sitcom, whom most young people today would be hard pressed to recognize the star, comes out and opposes gun ownership.  Oh,…the surprise…the amazement….who would have ever thought that a liberal Hollywood star would oppose guns.  Incredulous…let’s write an entire story on it.

http://news.yahoo.com/seinfeld-star-jumps-assault-weapon-debate-152458549–abc-news-politics.html

Extended Magazines & Reliability

“A law enforcement source, who spoke Sunday with CNN on condition of anonymity, said the rifle jammed because of a problem with the 100-shot magazine feeding it.”

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/22/us/colorado-shooting-investigation/index.html

Yes, it may be tacticool to have a 100 or 200 round drum magazine. But it’s interesting to note that the mechanism (thankfully) failed the assailant.  This from what I have seen is not an uncommon occurrence. Many of these overly extended magazines push the envelope on reliability a bit too far for my consideration.

I am no expert, but if I were to rely on a magazine for my life’s well being, I would probably stick to a 20 or 30 round magazine of high quality. This also may explain the reports of people running past the assailant to escape.

Decline of gun control support

Interesting article on Yahoo about gun control’s support decline, even in light of recent shootings.

According to a Gallup poll in 1990, 78 percent of those surveyed said laws covering the sale of firearms should be stricter, while 19 percent said they should remain the same or be loosened.

By the fall of 2004 support for tougher laws had dropped to 54 percent. In last year’s sounding, 43 percent said they should be stricter, and 55 percent said they should stay the same or be made more lenient.

http://news.yahoo.com/calls-gun-control-stir-little-support-132319718.html

Why do I think this decline of support is occurring?

1. First, because more and more Americans are becoming comfortable with, and owners of firearms.
2. Second, because more and more Americans realize that gun control laws do not prevent crimes. They only make criminals of decent folk.

 

 

The Eyes of Truth

Some say the eyes are the window into the soul.  One fear of many shooters is that they can also be the perfect window for a ricochet or other flying debris to enter through. This is why it is nearly a universal axiom of shooting instructors that ALL shooters should wear some sort of eye protection. In fact, most ranges mandate this as a requirement of shooting on their premises.

Personally, I do not have the budget to afford $100+ eye protection.  Sure, I know there are those who extoll the fact that it’s your eyes and safety. And a $100 isn’t a lot to keep you safe. Perhaps no, but when you need to buy a car and 6 years later you’re still delaying the purchase of that flat panel HDTV, a $100-$200 on an insurance is often more than the average casual shooter is willing to expend.

I myself have mostly relied upon the $5-$15 models available at your big box stores, or upon my prescription glasses. Of which, only polycarbonate is recommended. Glass and ordinary plastic is prone to shattering; glass usually in a horrific manner.

If you want the low down of how various eye protection responds to a variety of impacts, check out the recent post over at LuckyGunner.

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LuckyGunner blog test numerous eye protection units of varying quality, price, and construction in a “Box of Truth” style experiment.  The results are interesting to say the least.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/eye-protection-shooting-glasses-review/

The results may cause you to change your eye protection or eye protection habits. I know I tend to just rely upon my prescription glasses. I may need to consider alternatives, and whether I really should be doubling-up with a yellow over-lay goggle.

In fact, I’d love for Luckygunner to test a pair of cheap prescription glasses (available from zennioptical.com) with the addition of cheap basic yellow overlay glasses. I am curious to know how the doubling impacts the wearer’s safety.

There is No BATMAN!!!

There is No BATMAN!!!

There is not denying, this is a tragedy perpetrated by a deranged individual. Some will point to this as reason to ban all guns. I have little doubt that a gun ban would not have stopped this individual. Based on reports by CNN.com this was a well planned and thought out attack.  The shooter incorporated gas (be it tear or smoke, is unclear at this point) and had multiple firearms.  However, this massacre could have easily been accomplished by simply coming through an emergency exit. Chain locking it. Pouring some gasoline as he walked up the hall. Locking the entrance way. And lighting a match. In fact, such would have likely left more dead, been far more gruesome, and required a mere $20-$40 worth of investment.

I do believe that the assailant timed this deliberately with the release of the Dark Knight Rises. Clearly, the assailant is trying to associate himself to the horror of the villain’s portrayed in the Dark Knight films. The correlation between Bane and the assailant are numerous.  But in no way do I believe the movie or films like it are the cause of this style violence. This is caused by an individual with mental illness. It will be interesting to see if Sebastian’s call on there being a record of schizophrenia and mental illness for this guy will bear out to be true. But I’d put good money on it.

Here is what I learned personally. My first thought isn’t necessarily correct. Often when I am watching a movie I am carrying a pocket .380 concealed on my person. My first thought when reading this is that, with me being armed, I could potentially take down the assailant. Usually, 1-2 hits is enough to end a rampage by these crazies.  But in further reading the article it details that the assailant on top of wielding smoke grenades and multiple firearms, also was wearing a bullet proof vest. This means he was mindful and expectant of being shot (likely from police). It’s very likely my .380 would have proved insufficient (aiming a pocket pistol for a head shot in the dark is no easy feat) except at very close quarters.  That is a reminder that merely carrying a firearm is not a magic talisman.  Regardless, I’d still rather be wielding an LCP against a man with a handgun, rifle and body armor than nothing at all.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/20/us/colorado-theater-scene/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

UPDATES:  News alert just stated that the assailant’s apartment is booby-trapped as well. This was not some mindless fool who decided to do this on a spur of the moment. This was well thought out and complicated. And apparently an explosive device was found at the theater.

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When the mother heard… “She immediately expressed concern that her son may have been involved. “You have the right person,” she said.”

http://gma.yahoo.com/mass-shooting-colo-movie-theater-14-people-dead-085940786–abc-news-topstories.html

This is a problem in cases like this. It seems everybody knows there is a danger, but no one seems to have done anything beforehand.  In fact, with budget cuts for the treatment of the mentally ill, the releasing of thousands of mentally ill patients back onto the streets; we can expect a greater number of violent incidents.

Sensationalized Media & Divided Politics

As bad as it is in America right now, let’s be thankful we’re not at this point yet!

In Jordan, on live TV, a debate results in a drawn firearm:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/jordanian-parliment-member-throws-shoe-pulls-gun-critic-221349059.html

And if you think Americans are beyond such actions, you’re just naive about history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Brooks#Sumner_assault

Gangs not Guns

Even Rahm Emmanuel is having to face the music….

“Emanuel puts the blame for the city’s recent eruption of violence on gangs. The city has adjusted its strategy to focus on gang violence”

This is at least a bit more realistic. But can I ask a simple question.  Why was the city not focused on gang violence? Seriously, if Chicago PD wasn’t focused on this, then every chief/department head needs to be fired ASAP.

So let’s be honest, you’ve been focused on gangs all along. You’re just failing…maybe you’ve decided to try some new tactics – about time!

And might I add, I fully support Rahm Emmanuel’s decision to focus on gangs and wish him luck. This is where the effort SHOULD be placed.