(courtesy directorblue.blogspot.com)

Add to the list of federal agencies buying ammunition: the U.S. Postal Service. The notice of intent to solicit proposals was actually posted back in February, and the USPS does have the Postal Inspection Service (who I’ve always heard are some of the least-fun federal employees to interact with), so it’s not that outlandish an idea that they’d need ammo, but I like the idea of mail carriers in their shorts and socks and pith helmets going about armed. Hey, wait… what if we armed all the postal carriers, and then in a year’s time, they’ve managed to not shoot a single dog? Kinda puts some cops’ behavior towards our four-legged family in perspective, wouldn’t it? . . .

“According to a complaint filed by prosecutors last week, [officer Julio Cesar] Martinez claimed he saw a man take part in a drug deal and reach for a gun in his shorts pocket,” latimes.com reports. “The deputy said he then saw the man discard the gun near a trash bin inside the dispensary. Before he got a search warrant, Martinez kicked a wall outlet and shut down power to the room, according to the complaint. Paez then allegedly opened a drawer, pulled out a gun and put it on a chair. The complaint alleges Paez also planted a gun on top of an office desk, next to some ecstasy pills. At some point, Paez allegedly crawled under the desk and disabled the security camera system.  Prosecutors said the deputies claimed in their report of the incident they found one gun near the trash can and the other on the desk.” Which they did. Speaking of dopes, or dope . . .

Illinois regulators are working on the conditions of the state’s new medical marijuana laws, and have made a change to the proposed regulations that will make Illinois gun owners happier. They’ve removed the proposed rule that would have barred legal gun owners from becoming legal medical marijuana patients. The rule would have forced those folks to choose between their guns and their ganja, and some patients had said they would rather continue to use marijuana illegally rather than give up their FOIDs. The rule would also have affected caregivers applying for medical marijuana cards. Under the language of the now-stricken rule, both patients and caregivers would have been required to certify their understanding of the conflict between gun ownership and medical marijuana use. Personally, I don’t see the conflict, so how could I certify my understanding of it? Kudos to the people who are doing it right.

Jerry Miculek puts lead on steel at 200 yards with a .380 Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard pistol.

I’ve said it before, but when I was shopping for a .380, I thought the Bodyguard looked really neat, but it turned out to be easily the least comfortable of the dozen or so I shot. I know the point of a tiny pocket pistol isn’t to be the best range gun ever, but if it beats my hand up, I’m not going to want it to take it to the range at all. Since a couple of the tiny .380s I shot were as comfortable as my full-sized SIG Mosquito, the contrast was rather striking.

42 COMMENTS

  1. On the S&W vs. any other pocket 380 I only have one term for you – “double strike capability.” I love my Bodyguard. Don’t like the way it feels? You’re not supposed to – it’s a pocket pistol.

    • I bought a Bodyguard over Easter weekend. It actually feels really good for its size and is surprisingly accurate. Plus it is much easier to carry in warm weather than a Glock 30.

    • I’m going to hazard a guess that those that those who find the bodyguard uncomfortable to shoot are used to shooting full sized handguns in less than .45. I can go through 50-200 rounds on a range trip with my BG380 and not be phased at all. There is also the grip issue. Grip extensions make a ton of difference in handling such a small pistol.

  2. Mail carriers once upon a time were armed. I’ve seen old mail bags that had an internal holster.

  3. OMG! Law Enforcement is buying ammo just like regular citizens! OMG! OMG!

    Its like they want to train and actually try to hit the broadside of a barn rather than NYPD everything! OMG!

    My old department gave us all of 33 rounds for qualifying 4 times a year, told us NOT to use our department issued weapons on our own time or with our own ammo, and wouldn’t issue any additional ammo for training unless you were in SWAT….THEN they would complain about the shot count when we ended up in a confrontation.

    Yeah, 132 rounds a year is MORE than enough to keep one at a highly proficient level.

    • Actually, if you do enough dry fire practice and it is the only gun you shoot, that is enough to keep you proficient at typical handgun confrontation ranges. The part you need the most ammo for is your initial training. How much ammo does the academy allow per student?

      • Disagree… For trigger control and holster/upholster drills dry fire works well, for shooting while moving (something law enforcement should be training for) and shooting under stress when everything is shaking, ammo is needed so you can judge your end results.

  4. Evidently, he didn’t try a Ruger LCP. I love mine, but the Bodyguard was a softer shooter.

  5. There are some very bad, vicious dogs out there. Their human masters are at fault for training them that way, not the dog. However, some of these dogs can’t be reformed without grave danger to their trainers. The best thing for them is to put them down.

    Some dogs just need killin’. – Wild Bill Hickock (not exactly what he said)

    • I used to train dogs for a living, and I handled a lot of them who were supposedly “vicious.” When I finished training them, almost all were well mannered, loving, tractable and happy family pets.

      There are some bad dogs, but there are fewer bad dogs than there are bad people.

      • I’m basically a cat person, but The Dog Whisperer fascinates me. One thing I love about this guy is that he freely admits in his work it is more about training the people on how to act around dogs than it is about training the dogs.

  6. Were these two amigos members of the Rampart Division? I don’t think that stain will ever be bleached clean; instead it is being emulated.

  7. My Bodyguard goes where I go and stays out of the way. Of all the .380s I’ve owned or shot, I’ve found it to be one of the better-behaved tiny .380 zappers out there. I’d like to say that I’m shocked one could stretch out that far, but I can’t…it’s Jerry, after all.

  8. “My excuse is im 60 years old”

    Shoot man… id be hard pressed to even see that target at 200yds let alone hit it shooting anything with open sights…

    • The ones I worked with could only enforce federal law.
      But your point is a good one. Hmmmm

      • Ah. Thanks for that. I was kind of murky on the relationship.
        Particularly so after all those “congress-is-fleecing-the-USPS-and-that-is-why-it’s-nearly-bankrupt” PSAs/commercials on TV not too long ago….

        • That was never really explained well enough for me, I THINK it as about congress wanting them to actually pay for their pension contributions, you know, like an independent contractor, and they wanted free money instead.

  9. The Hogue grip makes a huuuuuuuge difference on the LCP. Shooting is a pleasure now. I imagine it would help with the Bodyguard as well. Adds very little weight and bulk to the pistol. A nice, easy tweak.

  10. I’d much rather shoot a s&w 637 j frame than a 380 pistol. I’m pretty biased against them now after briefly owning a Kahr CW380. Maybe my memory is cloudy, but it was absolutely awful to shoot that tiny thing. It was worse than shooting the nearly as small CM9.

  11. I don’t think the LCP is that bad. I’ve shot full sized .22 pistols that had practically no felt recoil. Also? They were no fun. I like a lot of kick. I know it hurts accuracy, but I primarily shoot for fun. The flash, the bang, the smell. I finally found more .380 ammo and will be taking my LCP for a 100 round spin again next week, but not at 200 yards!

    • If I had that pistol and a 100 rounds of spare ammo I could ring that 200 yard gong, maybe, but not on purpose.

  12. Well, the marijuana thing is good, I suppose. Not that I have any use for it. Still, freedom.

  13. I regularly shoot rimfire pistols at 300yrds and believe that anybody can do it as long as they understand the ballistics of the cartridge they’re shooting.

  14. Matt, your second vignette about someone doing something with warrants and guns and electricity is very confusing. I’m guessing that you are implying that someone planted the guns? No link for me to get clarification.

    • I have no idea either. Ask Robert. Apparently my original lead story had already been covered here, so he deleted it and inserted the one you’re referring to.

  15. Illinois is doing the right thing, but only for people who don’t intend on ever buying a new gun. The ATF still asks if you’re a marijuana user.

    • It asks if you are an unlawful user or addict. While medical marijuana is still technically illegal according to federal law, I guess the reader of the 4473 can have a moral belief that their state has legalized their use of a non-intoxicating version for medical use, and the federal government has no say. Personally, I think medical use should be a state issue, but I can’t say I wouldn’t feel a little odd knowing what the question is actually asking.

      • I don’t think marijuana should even be a state issue. I don’t know of a state constitution that grants a state government that kind of power. It should be purely personal as the government has no authority to say otherwise.

        From a purely legal standpoint as it stands today, the 4473 is a federal form administered by a federal agency. They ask if you are an unlawful user. ANY use is unlawful at the federal level, which is the area of concern of the form. So, if you use marijuana you have two choices. Answer yes and be denied approval, or answer no and commit a federal crime. What the state says has no legal bearing on the question at the federal level.

  16. “Goodbye Rosie, the Queen of Corona, seen me an’ Julio framin’ this cat for drugs.”(Or Paul Simon’s words to that effect.)

  17. After trying several 380 pocket/micro pistols out I settled on the Kahr CW380. It is a good gun that is comfortable enough to train and become proficient with. However, the scarcity and cost of 380 ammo drove me away from that calibire. I now carry a Sig P290 9mm.

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