Month: December 2013

This was written by a friend of mine who was shot in a negligent discharge. I strongly recommend you check out his blog rationalgun.blogspot.com
From http://pistol-training.com/articles/how-i-got-shot
How I Got Shot
(editor’s note: slightly graphic pictures follow; proceed at your own risk)
by “Littlelebowski” of the great Rational Gun blog
This story  is used with the author’s permission
The following pictures depict the aftermath of a gun shot wound inflicted by a .45ACP 230 grn. hollow point projectile, fired at a distance of less than two feet from a 4” barreled Kimber Pro Carry 1911.
The victim is a healthy, robust, adult male, thirty-three years old, and an eight year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
The injury was inflicted while the victim was in the front seat of his Jeep Cherokee, driving two passengers whom he described as co-workers to the firing range. From the driver’s seat, the victim described hearing a muffled ‘pop’ and accompanying spontaneous loss of use of his right arm. He described a total loss of digital mobility, and a sensation as if his arm were a “Tentacle or over cooked noodle just limply hanging there, totally useless and unresponsive.”*
Apparently, one of the passengers had taken the Kimber pistol from the range bag while sitting behind the victim. Outside the victim’s field of view, the passenger had inserted a loaded magazine, and cycled the action with his index finger resting on the trigger, discharging the weapon.
The projectile caused a ‘through and through’ injury, shattering the bones in the elbow, and exiting the front of the arm, where it grazed the victims rib before terminating in the dash board of the vehicle.
The small wound that appears to be a stab wound is actually the exit path of the projectile, having passed through the front of the victims arm.
The victim described himself as shocked but lucid, with the pain setting in rapidly over the first five minutes, and no possible use of the injured arm. He was able to safely stop the vehicle, exit, and enter the passenger side with assistance, allowing his passenger to drive him to the hospital. Once in the passenger seat, he described the bleeding as minimal, in consideration of the injury, but the effects of shock left him sweating and groaning, biting his uninjured arm to steady himself.
Surgery was not started until several hours after the time of injury, and a subsequent transport to a different facility. According to the victims account, any movement or ‘jostling’ of the limb during this time caused excruciating pain.
The photo of the X-ray indicates the extent of the reconstruction necessary. Bone grafts were taken from the right hip to repair the damage, and the expected 80-90% recovery of limb mobility and strength is being described as ‘miraculous.’
The first three major surgeries occurred over two days, requiring four bolts and other pictured hardware. The victim described the pain after the surgery exceeding that of the original wound significantly. The ordeal left him weak, dehydrated, and afflicted with further injuries from catheterization and other improper or rushed care. His recovery is not yet complete, though he has returned to work on restricted duty.
The injury provides us with several lessons:
First, and most importantly, is the tragic result of failing to follow the basic fire arms safety rules. Uncertain of his background or muzzle direction and with finger on the trigger, the shooter managed to inflict a permanent injury through negligence alone.
Second, is the total and instant loss of use of the injured limb. Though the victim described himself as mobile, and lucid, use of the limb in any way was beyond his capability. Had this been a fighting situation, he would not have been able to use his dominant hand for even the most rudimentary of tasks, even though he remained able to “fight” for a few critical moments more.
Third, is the nature of the wound. Much is hypothesized about the effects of different types of munitions from different arms. Here we see an undoing of popular belief, where a hollow cavity projectile expanded, doing devastating damage on impact with bone, but proceeded through the limb, leaving a small exit wound. Though a single injury is not definitive, it does illustrate the falseness of some assumptions about the behavior of bullets. Especially those established by use of flesh simulating media, such as ballistic gelatin, that lack the skeletal structure and tension of living flesh.
Finally, is the lesson of determination. The victim retained control of the situation, and of the vehicle. He acted to gain medical assistance, and did not panic. This saved his limb, and possibly his life. Beyond that, he did not accept the injury as limiting, and fought to regain use of his limb, aiding in his recovery.
The victim remains to this day an avid shooter and proponent of fire arms. He takes pleasure in his continued use, and ownership of the fire arm he was shot with, and wishes most of all that his injury will serve to help educate other shooters on safety, and survival.

Before you go out and buy the latest wiz bang gizmo for your AR-15, ask yourself “What is the mission?”

Christmas is not about the amount of gear we got but the people we spend our time with.
Don’t shoot your eye out!
 

Weapon retention does not just mean holding onto your gun and deploying it quickly in a reactive gunfight. It also means being able to immediately account for and control your weapon at all times.
Here is a scenario to consider:
You are visiting a friend’s house and staying overnight. Your friend has children in the house who may or may have not had any gun safety training. No quick access storage safe is available.
What are your options?
1)Leave the gun in the car
It is one option but the downsides are that you risk the gun being stolen if your car is broken into overnight if you are not using an additional storage safe for the car. Locked cars can be very easily broken into. The gun would also not be available in the event of an emergency when needed.
2)Keep the gun with you
This allows you to have the gun with you in the event of an emergency but you need to take precautions to prevent unauthorized access.
Be sure that the guest room you are staying in has a door that you can lock before you turn in for the night. If you need to use the bathroom at night, you need to lock the door behind you if you leave the gun in the room.
Keep in mind that most home interior locks can be opened from the outside with a bent paperclip. This will allow you to get back into the guest room.
If you choose to take the gun with you to the restroom, DO NOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE GUN. Many United States Secret Service agents have lost their service weapons by leaving it in the bathroom.
Also make sure that your host is cool with you carrying in his or her home. We may not like it but, private homeowners generally have the right to disallow firearms on their property.

Before there was The Walking Dead, there were mutated Stewie Griffins to prove our point!

After reading through the Connecticut State Police‘s report on the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack, I am very much convinced that the mother of the killer, Nancy Lanza was woefully negligent in how she dealt with her son, Adam Lanza and in how she stored the firearms that she owned.
Adam Lanza’s Room. It has the feel of a prison cell.
“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.”
-Proverbs 13:24
Nancy Lanza lost all control over her son and ignored the fact that his condition was getting worse over time. Assuming his medical diagnoses were accurate, the fact that Adam Lanza refused to participate in any sort of cognitive behavioral therapy that could have lessened the impact of the Asperger’s Syndrome and his co-morbid conditions he was diagnosed with. (Note: Asperger’s Syndrome is often co-morbid with one or more mental health conditions. Some Asperger’s cases do very well on their own with the right training, knowledge, skills, and attitude, some not so much.)
The reports indicate that Nancy Lanza tried to use the shared mutual interest in firearms as a way to bond with her son, Adam Lanza and had made assumptions that Adam Lanza could be trusted with unsupervised access to a firearm.
The need for immediate access to the firearm in the event of an emergency is something that should be balanced with how much you trust the people living with you under the same roof. Generally the firearm used for immediate defensive use should be a quick access safe or on your person. Nowhere else.
The gun that was used to kill Nancy Lanza.
“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…”
Reports indicate that Nancy Lanza had e-mailed a friend of hers saying that she was concerned with a photograph of a dead body that she had found in the house that belonged to Adam Lanza. Much like how a security clearance can be revoked when a cleared party does something that indicates they can no longer be trusted, Adam Lanza’s access to any firearms in the house should have been “revoked”. Fingerprint based gun safes were designed for this very reason.
Whose Fault Was it?
Responsibility for the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre ultimately lies with Adam Lanza, but Nancy Lanza’s inaction unwittingly enabled Adam Lanza to carry out his crimes, including her own murder.
Lessons
If someone is living with you, honestly ask yourself if you would trust them with unsupervised access to and unsupervised control over any of the following:
An open flame
Matches
Gasoline
A buzzsaw or bandsaw
A sharp knife
If your answer is “NO” or “maybe” on any of the above, then the person in question should not have unsupervised access to your firearms.
Maintain as much real-time intelligence as possible on what your kid is doing.
There is no shortage of software or hardware for monitoring computer usage.
Consider matters of civil liability as well.
Even if a judge/jury were to find that Nancy Lanza’s estate is not liable for the actions of Adam Lanza, it still would not stop any of the victim’s families from filing suit against her estate and against Adam Lanza’s father.
Such suits often end in a civil settlement to avoid the cost of fighting the suit and the risk of losing in court.
The families of the Columbine murderers settled with the victims’ families.
See http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=93525
Columbine Families Settle Suits With Parents
Victims’ Families Settle Negligence Claims Against Gunmen’s Parents
April 19
 
Most of the families of the victims in the Columbine massacre two years ago today settled their lawsuits against the parents of the gunmen.
Thirty of the 36 families whose relatives were either killed or injured by Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris in the April 20, 1999, school shooting agreed to participate in a settlement for a total of $1.56 million, according to Stephen Wahlberg, who led the families’ attorneys in the case. A judge will determine how the money is distributed.
Six of the families whose children were killed in the shootings opted not to settle. They are still pursuing suits against the Klebolds and Harrises, lawyers said.
Wahlberg said all 36 suits against Mark Manes and Phi Duran, who helped provide Klebold and Harris with guns while they were still minors, have been settled for $720,000 and $250,000, respectively.
Attorneys hope to reach a settlement with Robyn Anderson, a teenager who dated Klebold and bought weapons for him, for between $200,000 and $300,000.
Harris and Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher before committing suicide during the rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. About two dozen others were injured in the attack.
Lawsuits Against School and Sheriffs Continue
In the negligence lawsuits, the families claimed the parents of the shooters knew, or at least should have known, about the possibility that their sons would carry out the attack. Investigators found bomb-making materials and weapons in the bedrooms of the gunmen and uncovered a diary that revealed they had planned the rampage for at least a year. Investigators also found that Harris had maintained a hate Web site up until his death.
Today’s settlements will not affect the lawsuits filed against the school and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
Those lawsuits contend that officials at the high school and the sheriff’s department knew that Klebold and Harris were troubled and had made previous threats against students, yet chose to ignore the complaints.
School officials and the sheriff’s department, the lawsuits claim, could have prevented the attack. The victims’ families have also accused the sheriff’s department of covering up information suggesting officials mishandled the Columbine shooting from the beginning.
ABCNEWS’ Law and Justice Unit contributed to this report.
As cynical as it may sound, whenever there is a tragedy, deepest pockets will always get hit by a lawyer or two.
Ignoring a problem does not make it go away, it just makes it worse.

If the gun prohibitionists cannot get the draconian restrictions they want from the government, they will try to get them from private companies.
Rifle stocks and AR-15 bolt release levers are the new boogeymen now.
Of course they will want to outlaw knives, pepper spray, sticks, and martial arts that actually work as soon as they get guns outlawed (except for themselves of course! They think that they are more important than you and I…)
From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/13/amazon-gun-accessories_n_4442154.html
See what I mean?
Amazon Asked Why It’s Still Selling Gun Accessories
Reuters  |  By Ross KerberPosted: 12/13/2013 4:57 pm EST
By Ross KerberBOSTON (Reuters) – Activist investors have asked Amazon.com Inc to review its sales of firearms accessories, concerned that the online retailer offers products that could be used to convert semi-automatic rifles into weapons that fire too rapidly to be legal.
The shareholder scrutiny of the world’s largest online retailer comes a day before the anniversary of the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 26 people. The incident led to extensive debate over U.S. gun-control laws and pressure on gunmakers and traditional retailers.
The activists include the managers of funds that promote themselves as socially responsible investors, and a deputy of New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who manages the state’s retirement fund. They sent Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos a letter on November 25 and showed it to Reuters on Thursday.
The group of investors, which said it had not heard back from Amazon, asked for details like whether the company restricts sales of dangerous products and what percentage of revenue it generates from firearms accessories.
The activists said in the letter that they were not suggesting the company is violating U.S. laws. “Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned that these product offerings allow your customers to increase the lethality of their weapons and to effectively convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, which are illegal under U.S. law,” states the letter.
An Amazon representative said the company does not sell guns or ammunition and cited its policies in response to other questions. The company’s website notes that some jurisdictions might restrict the sale of some products. It also says it prohibits third parties from selling on Amazon “converters that can give a gun automatic capability” and “parts or accessories related to assault weapons.”
The activists’ letter was signed by Adam Kanzer, general counsel of Domini Social Investments of New York and sent on behalf of 33 other investors that collectively have more than $490 billion under management and include Amazon shareholders. They noted the case of Newtown where gunman Adam Lanza used weapons including an AR-15 type rifle, a popular weapon that can be converted to fire more rapidly.
The activists cited products offered for sale on Amazon.com such as a gun stock that “allows shooter to shoot as quickly as desired” and a lever for the AR-15 that “allows you to lock the bolt back and release the bolt with just a slight movement of your trigger finger which significantly improves the speed and efficiency of reloads,” according to both the site and the text of the letter.
Similar levers were also available on the online sites of other retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Cabela’s Inc. Cabela’s also sold a similar gun stock.
Kanzer said his firm did not contact either of the other retailers on the issue because Domini does not own their shares.
A Cabela’s spokesman declined to comment.
A Wal-Mart spokesman, Kory Lundberg, said the store avoids selling accessories that could be used to illegally modify a firearm. Among other restrictions, he said, it also does not sell handguns except at a few stores in Alaska, and does not sell guns online.
(Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Lessons here:
Don’t carry a lot of cash on you as a matter of routine if you do not have to.
If your job or circumstances force you to carry a large amount of cash, then you should travel with a buddy or two on your way to make a bank deposit.
Major cash deposits should be done in daylight and while escorted by friends.
If you are in a fixed location on a fixed routine then it is relatively easy to plan an ambush against you. Plan accordingly!
If you are in a job in which you have to walk around with cash then you should approach each daily route as if you are anticipating getting hit that very night.
Don’t slack off because nothing’s happened on the last 99 routes….
If you work a job like a  pizza delivery route, then you should be carrying.
The most likely points of criminal assault are getting into your car and getting out of your car.
Setup your home exterior lighting to minimize hiding spots at night.
If you remember the movie Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black with Vin Diesel, then the same rules apply.
Light is your friend!
If something seems weird as you are pulling into your driveway, turn on the high beams to flood the area with light.
Elderly woman killed in shootout by armed robbers over gambling money: sheriff
Dorothy Hendrix, 76, was gunned down after returning home from her job managing an illegal gaming hall, authorities say. The senior citizen from Anderson S.C., wounded one of the three suspects.
BY DOYLE MURPHY / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2013, 5:00 PM
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Steven Benard Hagood, 33, of Anderson, S.C., was wounded in a shootout with 76-year-old Dorothy Hendrix, authorities say.
A 76-year-old South Carolina woman who managed an illegal gambling hall died in a shootout with armed robbers, authorities said.
Three thieves ambushed Dorothy “Dot” Hendrix as she pulled up to her house, Anderson County Sheriff’s Lt. Sheila Cole told the Daily News.
“It looks like they were waiting for her,” Cole said.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sheriff’s deputies in South Carolina searched an unmarked storefront following the fatal shooting of Dorothy Hendrix, 76, and found about 15 video gambling machines.
Hendrix ran an off-the-books gaming center, and investigators suspect the attackers thought she’d be carrying a lot of cash from the business.
“This was not a random act,” Sheriff John Skipper said in a statement. “The robbery was planned and she was specifically targeted. The trio had knowledge that Hendrix carried large sums of money home with her at night.”
Neighbors reported the sound of a firefight about 1 a.m. on Nov. 23 in the rural cul-de-sac. Sheriff’s deputies arrived to find Hendrix shot to death near her carport and one of the suspects lying across the road — gutshot but still alive.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Hendrix managed an illegal gambling parlor before she was gunned down by robbers who thought she was carrying cash from the business, authorities say.
They discovered a handgun and Hendrix’s purse next to him, Cole said.
Deputies learned about the gambling hall during the homicide investigation and served a search warrant at the unmarked storefront, Cole said. Behind the barred windows, they found about 15 gambling machines, including video poker, Keno and Pot O Gold.
Investigators were eventually able to talk to the wounded suspect, 33-year-old Steven Benard Hagood, at the hospital, and they also spoke to witnesses who reported seeing two others running away from the scene.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Bradacious Terrell Galloway, 23, of Anderson, S.C., faces a murder charge in the death of 76-year-old Dorothy Hendrix.
That led to the arrests of two others in the case. Tereba Racquel Geer, 26, and Bradacious Terrell Galloway, 23, were charged with murder. Hagood was charged with murder and possession of a firearm.
Hendrix had apparently armed herself following an earlier robbery. Thugs stole about $1,000 from her during an October 2011 attack, Cole said.
Relatives and neighbors told Fox Carolina Hendrix learned to shoot following the robbery.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Tereba Racquel Geer, 26, of Anderson, S.C., faces a murder charge in the death of 76-year-old Dorothy Hendrix.
“Been robbed right outside of her home,” brother Ronnie Lollis told the station. “That’s what made her get her gun.”
No one was ever charged in the case, and sheriff’s investigators were still looking to see if there is any link to the homicide.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/s-woman-76-killed-shootout-gambling-cash-sheriff-article-1.1534233#ixzz2mIMn3GpC