Nothing of consequence was accomplished today but that your humble scribe, his number one son and son number one’s best mate from high school years – a citizen of Eire, come hither for the holidays for to escape the falling damps Dublin-way – went a-shooting at the range.
Hizzoner not having had our advantages was eased into the employment of weapons short and long. Safety instructions and range rules. The .22 caliber Beretta Neos is a lovely little thing that will only just barely kill the incautious shooter graveyard dead. It was a good start to a grand afternoon.
After that we shot my oldest rifle, an autoloading Sears .22 long rifle purchased for my 15th birthday oh-so-long-ago, and equipped with a four power scope. The combination led us in time towards an H&K USP .45 and an M-1A rifle in .308 Winchester. All the world did stop and listen when the latter barked. Loudly.
There was a lovely young lady there as well, alongside of us. With a pert brown pony tail, Kevlar vest, fast draw holster and speed loading rig. The handcuff holder at her six o’clock assured me that she was a law enforcement agent. Or else the kinkiest woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Either one. Or both.
And at the end of the day, does it really matter?
So.
A right good time was had by all. Which leads me into this learned discussion of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution. And whether or not it applies to “the people” or to “the militia.” Whatever that might be. There are many wise people there capable of buttressing one’s personal preferences. This one supports mine:
Suppose that a dean announces: “The teacher being ill, class is canceled.” Nothing about the dean’s prefatory phrase, including its truth or falsity, can qualify or modify the operative command. If the teacher called in sick to watch a ball game, the cancellation of the class remains unaffected. If the dean was secretly diverting the teacher to work on a special project, still there will be no class. If someone misunderstood a phone message, and inadvertently misled the dean into thinking the teacher would be absent, the dean’s order is not thereby modified in the least.
The Second Amendment’s grammatical structure is identical, and so are the consequences. Whatever a well regulated militia may be, or even if no such thing exists, the right of the people to keep and bear arms is not to be infringed. What’s more, whether or not such a militia can actually contribute to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms remains unaffected. Indeed, even if it could be proved beyond all doubt that disarming the people is necessary to the security of a free state, still the right of the people to keep and bear arms would remain completely unchanged.
Undoubtedly, new information or changed opinions about the assertion advanced in the preamble might suggest the need to issue a new command. If, for example, the dean discovered that the teacher wasn’t going to be absent after all, he might make a new announcement reversing his earlier decision. Similarly, if the American people came to believe that civilian disarmament laws were necessary to promote public safety, Congress might initiate a repeal of the Second Amendment under the procedures set out in Article V of the Constitution. In both cases, a new command would be needed because the truth or falsity of the preambular assertion cannot alter the meaning of the original, operative command.
Just remember that when it comes to protecting your individual right to life – the most profound right, upon which all others depend – the constabulary can only obliquely contribute. They are not designed to prevent your murder, only to punish it. When the bad man comes, and seconds count, they will be only minutes away.
Here endeth the lesson.
Shipmates,
As I have often pointed out to my erstwhile friends and other straphamgers, the term of interest to me in the 2nd ammendment is “well regulated”.
Now, regardless of what sort of spin some folks may put upon it, a true understanding of the phrase must return to the vernacular of the 18th century, alse all sorts of rubbish rears it’s ugly head.
In that period of time wherein the Constitution was written, the term “regulations” was understood by all those of a martial sort to refer to training, as in the care and feeding of the .69 calibre martial musket.
When Baron Von Steuben took over the training of Washington’s army at Valley Forge, he instituted his “regulations” whicj included the proper way to fire. Firing was done in eight counts and fifteen motions.
Fire! One Motion.
Half-Cock — Firelock! One Motion.
Handle — Cartridge! One Motion.
Prime! One Motion.
Shut — Pan! One Motion.
Charge with Cartridge! Two motions.
Draw — Rammer! Two motions.
Ram down — Cartridge! One Motion.
Return — Rammer! Two motions.
Thus, one can readily see that what the second ammendment referred to was that the individual citizens were to be well armed, ans then trained by the government in the proper care and handling and use of those same weapons.
By rights, thusly, one could properly (and should) demand that the government provide a martial arm to each of it’s citizens, and accompany that with the proper training in how to care for it and best utilise it in combat.
Thus endeth the lesson….
BZ for bringing up 2nd amendment. The M1A is a fine weapon. Springfield is a great company that will really stand behind their work.
Yup, what AW said, and let us hope that you have taught the Kat and the Biscuit (I still can’t remember which is which) the difference between necessary, no-kiddin, right-now self-defense, and “We were yelling at each other, he was rude to me, so I shot him.”
(There have been occasions for that justification, but I don’t think I’d live long in that society. Manners, folks!)
.
Oh, yeah, the Bud Light is _flowing_!
Oh, yeah, Cap’n, you’re absolutely right on the grammar and the syntax, etc.
I speak as one who got a 795 on the verbal part of the SAT. In 1968. Before they dumbed it down.
(If I’d remembered that stupid rhyme that started “Thirty days hath…” I betcha I coulda made 800!
Lex,
So, handcuffs, on a young lady, at the range, with a pony tail and a kevlar vest….Was this the Home Ave range?! Sheesh, every time I go there to shoot it’s me and 3 guys with beards shooting black powder pistols. I swear you have all the luck.
Luck is important, for fighter pilots.
Prolly even more important for fighter pilots required to act like attack pilots, due to the exigencies of the Service, and stupid procurement decisions…
When the bad man comes, and seconds count, they will be only minutes away.
I swear, you, Grim and John Donovan are going to turn me into a gun-toter one of these days… despite my best of intentions. Believe me, an armed Fuzzbear would not necessarily be a good thing.
‘sokay, Fuzzy, I trust yer instincts. Anybody you would shoot probably has it coming!
I think JTG has a good point – the physical skill is half of the ‘gun control’. The other half is knowing who the black hats are … and your instincts are good, Fuzzy!
Thanks, guys. But I wasn’t thinking about who to shoot or not shoot being an issue. Rather, things like accidental discharges, misplaced weapons, waving my hands in the air for emphasis will loaded weapon is in said hands, etc.
Were I a cop, I’d be the one you hear about having left her weapon on the toilet paper dispenser in the bathroom! LOL
The second amendment isn’t solely about protecting the nation. It’s about defense of our rights. That all men are created equal, and are endowed by their creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Now is not the employment of lethal force occassionally necessary in the protection of one’s life? Likewise, liberty must be so protected. The pursuit of happiness, by which I believe to be the right to property and the attainment of wealth and those things that allow me to provide for my family by my own hands, is yet another measure of freedom, freedom from begging or living as a power deems fit for me, and should be so protected.
Lex has a very compelling argument in his parsing of the words. The question is, if Congress does not adhere to its responsibility to regulate the militia, and if the states do not, does that result in any inconvenience upon the militia? Shall they not enjoy their rights because of malfeasance by those entrusted to maintain them?
Note to self: teach the wife to shoot, and the daughter when she’s old enough. I won’t be around forever to protect them, and I’d rather waste their time teaching them to protect their lives and never have need for the lesson than to have not taught them when they need it.
– Max
What Max said, and Fuzzy, all of yer objections and issues can be easily solved (well, maybe laboriously) by good training.
Fear a government, that fears your guns.
Capt, Put the allotted number of rounds downrange in an authorized competition with that M1A, and the Department of Civilian Marksmanship has a nice service grade or better M1 Garand meant just for the man of arms you are.
Gives you a 30.06 for that 1000 yd course.
Well said, Lex, and it was just that line of thinking that motivated me to get my Concealed Carry permit last month, after a lifetime of being vaguely intimidated by and wary of firearms. The process left me keenly aware of the awesome responsibility associated with owning a deadly weapon, as well as the responsibility of each citizen to defend what’s theirs.
Lex,
Couldn’t agree more on your position on personally owned firearms and self-protection. Many states and municipalities in this country think you only have the right to be a victim and do all they can to limit the 2nd Amendment. Nice addition commentary too, AW1 Tim. Fuzzy, being an old sojer and knowing a bit about having the power at your fingertips to take a life, if and when it comes out of the holster or gun locker with a round chambered and the safety off, you will be all business and not prone to talk with your hands. At that point you have already made the decision to take a life if necessary. If you haven’t thought thru that possibility and the consequences – keep it in the gun locker always and take it out only when you go to the range. But I suspect you know that already.
BTW, Lex. I love my Garand M1 Navy. Yes Navy. Know the diff?
Lex, I trust the evening was spent in an extended cleaning session in the garage? When I take a bunch of stuff to the range it makes it an all day and evening affair.
Fuzzy, apologies for waxing bombastic.
RE: #10 Fuzzy, that’s what training is for, aside from being fun. Think of all the benefits – A new skill to master, the ability to defend yourself if necessary, plus as a cutie with a .45 you’ll be irresistible to Marines…
Geo6 – Is your M1 the early model with the chamber insert or has it been rebarrelled? Mine are all standard .30 cal US Rifle, but I wouldn’t mind having a Navy Garand in the collection!
GE06, I believe that the Navy version was chambered for the NATO 7.62mm round, is that not correct?
Sadly, all of the weapons shot yesterday – apart from my ancient .22LR – belonged to the range. If I were to own military grade weapons of mine own rather than plinkers and hunting guns, and money was no barrier, my preferences would be the aforementioned H&K or a Sig P220 in a hand gun, and this little jewel in a rifle.
It is to dream.
We spent December 22nd in the company of The Hubby’s family for Christmas celebrating. His uncle – and host – is an avid, and beyond, gun collector. Until the past few years, I always looked askance at that – all those guns in the house seemed so wrong.
Until now. They have a new house and he wanted to show off the gun room. He was more than surprised that I wanted to go too. And what a room it is – my God what a collection. Behind a jailhouse style door of course. Civil war rifles & bayonets, WWI and WWII German rifles and American rifles. WWII German handguns. Revolvers. So many others I know I’m not remembering. And in a special locked case that was not opened in our presence – automatic weaponry. The uncle even makes his own bullets and other munitions. (And for those who think about these things, prominently displayed were his state and federal gun licenses.)
It was an incredible collection and I feel very privileged that I held a Civil War rifle, a WWII rifle and a WWII handgun. Oh yeah, and WWII era machine guns too.
A few years ago that would have never happened – see what you guys have done to me?!
The army gave me a Garand, -er, loaned me a Garand a long time ago, and I got really good with it rather quickly. Pie plates at 1000 yards? My old DI said the object was to put one well aimed round down range every second. Near the end they took my Garand and I was issued an M-14 with a selector lever. On full auto you couldn’t hit s##t after the first round except maybe an unlucky bird. Back on semi, one well aimed shot a second. I could still hit that pie plate. I really liked it! It didn’t rattle as much as my Garand. It became my new best friend. We’d tape 2 or 3 magazines together to speed up reloading. (For the assault course)
Years later I bought a Springfield M1-a because a good Garand was impossible to find. And then I did find one! (Ain’t that always the way). Just last week went shooting with them. (I did remember to bring a dry sponge as padding for my shoulder. Those steel butt plates doncha know). And, I discovered I am still pretty good. Need more practice. Expensive. WTH
Pitts, #15: I got my concealed Carry permit out of Florida 9 months ago. My local cops here in Doity Joisey stuck to the ceiling when I showed it to them. (It isn’t legal here yet).
Justthisguy, #4: The rest of the rhyme is:
30 days hath September
April, June and no wonder
all the rest eat peanut butter
except Grandma who drives a Buick.
That help?
LEX: regarding your thoughts on the 2nd amendment, (which brought all this up as I look back), Absolutely Correct! And when you transfer the kids to heavier hand guns, maybe start with a nice 44 black powder revolver from Cabelas. Teaches discipline. Oh, and Rugar’s Vacaro single action 45LC is sweet.
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and be well and be careful.
An afterthought. Or, maybe an after observation: At the range the other day men with pistols were fireing “Combat”. Turned out “Combat” is emptying your pistol as fast as possible at a paper target 6/8 feet away. I’d call that “scared S##tless Shooting”, but what do I know?
No bombast that I could detect, so no apologies necessary, GE06. But really, you should’ve seen me the one time I went to the range, haha! Pretty good shot for a first-timer, but way too distractable despite my very serious attitude about things. (fortunately, my “instructor” was on top of things and very patient with me).
But what brings me up short is that the logical conclusion of arming myself in this manner would be a CC — being a single woman, having something with me when I’m out and about makes sense. But that’s where things would get really nutty (in terms of leaving it around, losing track of it, etc).
Grim Beorn of Grim’s Hall and I have gone round and round with this in email — in terms of self-protection and citizenship. I cannot deny the force of his arguments, but I also find that I cannot conclude I am up to the responsibility.
Pogue,
I wrote #23 earlier this morning, then realized I’d failed to hit “submit,” so I didn’t see yours before I posted… did I mention the “distractable” part?
I thoroughly enjoyed my first time at the range. I’m a competitive perfectionist (despite attempts to rein in both characteristics), so I loved the instant feedback of seeing how small adjustments affected my accuracy, etc. I’ve been begging for a return ever since. It was tremendous fun, especially since it wasn’t nearly as hard as I suspected.
I just honestly have reason to doubt myself when it comes to things that truly matter… like the responsibility of carrying around a deadly weapon. I’m bad enough with a car (it’s five years old and looks like it belongs in a junkyard), and that wasn’t designed to cause deadly damage to human beings!
Some of the finest out of the box rifles are made by Sako for rifles. I have a Sako 7mm Rem. Mag. with an adjustable trigger. Magnificent weapon. In my county, Kern CA, the Sherrif better run on a broad CCW permit ideal or he doesn’t get elected.
When you ride where I do in the Sierras you’d be a fool not to carry heavy duty protection. Some of the critters up there don’t actually agree with you that you are at the top of the foodchain.
A politician who doesn’t like a citizen with a weapon doesn’t like the idea of citizens in general.
Fuzzy- your ability to hit what you were aiming at doesn’t surprise me at all. Women tend to shoot better than men because of physiology. Smaller lungs and cardiovascular system lends itself to steadier sight picture, etc. I would enjoy inviting you to the range for the day. BTW, if you were protecting your cubs I suspect you will have no trouble with a firearm.
Right on Lex. Back when the USMC and US Army went to the 7.62 x51 NATO round (a.k.a .308 Winchester) the US Navy sent a bunch of their M1s back to Springfield Armory for rechambering/rebarreling with for that round. A cost saving program I guess.
Pogue, mine has the new barrel and a little white clip spacer at the front of the magazine well since the rounds are that much shorter that the ’06. My piece was originally manufactured at Springfield in Oct ’44. When I got it for Christmas a ways back (Lipstick 6 LOVES me don’t cha know) it still had the cosmoline in it and the walnut was all new and absolutely PRIMA. Not sure of the conversion date. The ballistics pretty much mirror the 30’06. It is nothing to knock over a bowling pin standing offhand first round at 300 meters. It is more the rifle than me.
The sad news is I had to sell my Fed Ord M14 to pay for some stuff on my latest obsession. And you know what that is Lex.
I have still to acquire my M1A and mouse gun, but the M1 Garand in 30.06 serves me well. I had a Chief, GMG (SEALS), fix it up with NM sights and glass bedded my 30.06 DCM Garand. My stock had a crack in it but the Chief found me a new whole stock gratis. No excuses, the weapon serves better than I can deliver,… yet. See you at the firing line. GE06, what obsession other than a diamond for the right girl, could better such a fine and proven weapon? Well, maybe if it has wings…
The handcuff holder at her six o’clock assured me that she was a law enforcement agent. Or else the kinkiest woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Either one. Or both. And at the end of the day, does it really matter?
That would depend on a) whether you were looking for a date and b) if so, what kind ….
Sand- Good guess. It has wings- I bought a ’46 T-craft. Its performance suits me. Be honored to be smelling cordite with you on the range anytime. Same for all occasional readers.
Geo6,
Is it a ‘clip-wing’, or that original cross-wind hatin’ sob? They can be fun, but the wind can be a problem. I was never that much in a hurry anyway, and the view from up there was nice.
Cheers!
Chris
Gun control? Doesn’t that imply using two hands?
Da Grunts were over for the Holidays and they dragged Dink off to the range with her brother. Now, she grew up shooting everything from a youth .243 to my old 700 Rem ADL synthetic with a Leupold Vari III 3.5-10×50. She can shoot the warts off a frog’s butt at 300 yds with the old ADL but these guys were firing Bushmasters ( http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_xm15_BCWA3F-16M468.asp ) with iron sights and she had never really fired anything military type other than old black powder Long Rifles and civil war era weapons so she thought she’d give it a whirl. First six shot group at 50 yds you could cover with a silver dollar but she didn’t do near as well at 100 yds. That six group was about the size of a grapefruit but it was good enough to immediately get her three marriage proposals right there on the spot! ha!
I know if it ever comes to it she will wreck havoc with that little Springfield handgun I got her. The little V10 Ultra Compact .45 is perfect for her and conceals well. She’s hell on wheels with it too! Ouch!
So go for it Fuzzy! If my itty bitty little baby girl can handle it so can you! Heh!
And now I want a Bushmaster. Thanks, JHD.
Like I didn’t have enough as yet unpurchased toys.
Just doin’ what I can Capt!
You should see the optics these guys put on their personal weapons. Man! but talk about expensive! There’s a reason they all volunteer for deployments. Heh!
When Bushmaster came out with the 6.8mm the guys were hoping for a 7mm.08. Naturally, being Grunts, they hate the 5.56 but the .270 (6.8mm)was a decent compromise. At least a .270 will disable an engine. You couldn’t give them a 5.56 even firing AP rounds.
My old 700 ADL is a 7mm.08 and I have developed a liking to that round. 7mm.08 ammo is semi hard to find though. My kids were raised on a 7mm.08 and 30.06 so of course they wouldn’t like that dink .223 round (5.56mm). Shoot, I started my kids on a youth .243. The only thing we used the .223 round for was shooting small varmints. Figures the military would choose that one for warfighting. Da Grunt used to joke that taking a 5.56 A2 into a street fight was like hunting deer with a Benjamin Pump air rifle!
If I ever get rich before I die I’d like to have that 6.8. If they come out with a 7mm.08 watch out! The Bushmaster is an excellent weapon!
Cap’n, my personal M1A just happens to be a Fulton Armory service rifle grade. A finer example of that particular rifle does not exist, IMHO. Nothing at all wrong with an SA, but Fulton is the way to go. Gave my Pop a Fulton M1 Garand for Christmas several years back ( he was 5th Marines in WWII, involuntarily recalled to 7th Marines in fall 1950 for a little party the gooks threw at a place called Chosin), the Old Man got tears running down his face, we killed a bottle of George Dickel, me and him, and spent the afternoon remembering some of the fine Marines we had both served with. A Nation of Riflemen we are.
I have a love / hate relationship with the range, my collection has become too large to take them all, and on the unfortunate day when I take friends, (most of the time) I end up cleaning for the rest of the week!
Lex, my “house gun” is a USP with a light on the rail, I have had it for 15 years, and it is by far my favorite. My carry guns are a Kimber Ultra Carry II, http://www.kimberamerica.com/pistols/ultracarry/
or a Kahr PM9 (for those hot Florida short and tee shirt days) (Ok that is most days, but I carry the Kimber about 50% of the time)
Hey, Sandman and Lex and the rest of you experts … what’s a “mouse gun?” Is it anything like a “house gun?” Mine’s a Taurus ‘The Judge” as I told you guys last summer, and it works just fine for a little old lady with arthritic hands who can’t hold a shotgun any more. Has a 6 1/2″ barrel and it shoots 410 shotgun shells, and very nicely too.
I’ve got to admit, though, if I decided to be a gun toter, that Beretta Neo is a darling little creature. But I’d have to get a concealed carry permit, and who would be fool enough to give me that, no matter how well I passed the written test?
Marianne Matthews
Capt. Lex, if you like the USP45 try to get your hands on an HK45. They may not be available in your state of domicile for a while, but if you liked the USP45, and you like the 1911 pattern pistols, you’ll never touch another pistol after you’ve experienced the joy that is the HK45. My $0.02.
ChrisP, It is the classic original with all 36 feet of wing there.
Marianne,
A mouse gun would be my “small” P9m, or any small bore gun.
My house gun is the one that is NOT in the safe.
I don’t think “Judge” is a Mouse gun (it is a BIG bore gun) I also have a Mark 23. It is one of my “safe queens” (A gun that sits in the safe most of the time) A “Mouse Gun” Is a small bore gun.
I don’t think that a .410 qualifies as a mouse gun.
Any one that carries a Judge is fine in my book.
Marianne, a mouse gun is presently and accurately considered to be a small, light weight, concealable handgun, as Vmaximus knows. However, in the context of my firearms acquisition plans, I meant a modern variant of the M-16, reflecting this aging warrior’s service during Vietnam. Even my slang has become antique.
Google “The Unabridged Second Amendment”
At 14yo I shot both the M1 Garrandand the M14. The M1 was much easier for me to shoot accurately as there was something about the balance of the M14 that did not agree with me. My brother has the same problem with this old Mossberg bolt action shotgun we own. Can’t hit the broad side of a barn, or more accurately a couch at 75yds. Give him that M14 and he was destroying it. The lesson is that it pays to find what you are comfortable with when operating a firearm.
As I am in the People’s Republic of Maryland, they make it quite difficult to purchase a handgun and even more difficult to obtain a concealed or open carry permit. It seems only the criminals can obtain weapons, the rest of us must remain the Sheep the government wants. Grrrrr.
Lex,
I have both an M1a (Loaded) and an Bushmaster XM15. Lots of fun! The loaded M1a is a package that Springfield puts out, it includes National Match sights as well as other goodies that I don’t recall. My Bushmaster is A2 style with the carry handle, 16″ bbl and collapsible stock. The M1a is more accurate than my humble ability but it is still a lot of fun.
Gee. What a bunch o’Gun nuts…
Just kidding. But I do I wonder if someone out there is matching IP addresses with weps claimed. Nahhh. LOL.
In my day a Bushmaster was either an African snake or a Remington hi-powered deer rifle in pump action, 30-06 or .308…now it’s something looks like it came out of a Steven Segal movie. Sorta like that song “A Hoe ain’t a Hoe”.
b2