A reader who prefers to remain anonymous writes:
I currently work for a ambulance department as an EMT in Southern Illinois so I’m constantly in and out of hospitals the area. Not too long ago, I was dropping off some paperwork at the local ER, when I overheard some nurses discussing patients who are difficult to deal with. One nurse chimed in with this little tidbit (I’m paraphrasing): . . . “Well, if some of these patients start asking for stuff over and over again, or are just being an asshole, I can always tell them I’ll report them as mentally unstable and they’ll get their FOID card taken away” . . .
The majority of the nurses I know are good people, hardworking and honest, but there are some who are there who have no earthly business being around other people. They are lazy, manipulative and would gladly watch someone’s rights be infringed, rather than delivering good patient care.
I understand that some people who have been diagnosed with serious mental instability shouldn’t own a firearm, but to say that you’re willing to take away a right because you don’t want to deal with a patient who may ask for a cup of water, or decide that they dont want an IV is just too much. It’s despicable.
I am concerned because, while we may still be anchored to the liberal bastion that is Chicago, we Southern Illinoisans are pretty conservative. So if this is already happening down here, I can only imagine what may be happening in the rest of the state. God bless the U.S and molon labe.
I wonder if when the first time a person tries to use a “smart gun” for a defesive use and it fails to work if a couple hundren million dollar lawsuit against the state would wake them up? Perhaps a lawsuit for EVERY TIME it fails? If the pistol fails and they are mandated is that not a mandated repeal of the 2nd ammendment? Seems worth a shot to me…
Reason #13,672 not to tell health “professionals” that you own firearms in Illinois…
A great reason not to tell a health professional *anywhere* about your firearms. If he/she is a good person, they’ll understand.
Just another reason to not tell them shit about your personal life, sadly this REALLY does inhibit care for people who need it.
I heard this a long time ago from Jerry Barnhart, there are 2 kinds of people in this world (of shooting), those that have had an AD and those that are going to have an AD. Be careful folks!
I looked up the population numbers and Chicago only has about 25% of the population.. I don’t understand why the myth persists that Chicago has enough influence to control State laws.
This is conjecture, because the numbers for tax revenue aren’t as easy to dig out as the numbers for population. But I would almost guarantee that the majority of tax revenue comes in from Chicago. And he who has the gold….
The Chicago metropolitan area has 9.7 million people and Illinois has 12.9 million. I’m not sure if the CMA includes Gary, Indiana, but either way the urban population far out numbers the rural.
We have three parties in Illinois: Republicans, Democrats, and Chicago Democrats. And the Speaker of the House, Mike Madigan (a Chicago Democrat) is also the Democratic Party Chairman and controls the purse strings (campaign funds) for two of those three parties. Also, his daughter Lisa Madigan is the Attorney General. Basically, one guy writes the laws and his daughter gets to interpret them.
But this is why we need to be careful with labels. Some coal mining areas in Southern Illinois are Democratic strongholds but they are also rural and tend to be pro-2A. But they need to play nice with the Chicago crowd.
I wouldn’t be surprised.
Once in the .mil, I walked into an argument between a friend and his wife. Things escalated, he went to the door, and she said if he took one more step out of the house she was calling the base Sexual Assault office and filing a (bogus) complaint- which would kill his career like a bullet to the head, and likely result in his imprisonment.
I had a woman make a similar threat to me many years ago. I said, “Go ahead, make the call, and after you hang up the phone, I will beat on you until the police arrive. If I’m going to jail, I’m gonna make it worth my while”. She realized that although I had never laid a hand on her in the past, I absolutely meant it because she had crossed the line. She backed down, and soon after I packed my stuff and left the crazy witch.
“some people who have been diagnosed with serious mental instability shouldn’t own a firearm”
Only a person’s criminal ACTIONS should impact their rights, not a person’s POTENTIAL for criminal actions.
I was laid up with cat scratch fever last year and they put me on a drip over night with antibiotics. There was no room in the hospital so they put me in the Oncology ward for a night. My roomate was some old guy with a big, well to do family. His daughter and her husband and their two daughters came to visit the first full day I was in there.
The husband just immediately started ranting about handguns and how nobody, anywhere should have handguns. They should be banned and confiscated by force, according to him. This was a mid 30s man with two beautiful daughters who was clearly a “pillar of the community” in one way or another and he was just angrily ranting about this to his family… I think I was the only person in the room who was really listening to what he said and he didn’t know I was awake.
Anyway, it was disturbing. But I guess that is the nature of hearing people say things they would not normally say in front of strangers. These were clearly professional, church going people. Both the father and mother were wearing nice business attire, their daughters rode horses and were extremely polite… and they want me and my kind to be assaulted and robbed by the police. Good to know, right? Trust no one.
“KEEP YOUR BOOGER-H–wait…” This story does nothing to convince me I’m wrong for thinking I want a DA/SA with a manual safety and external hammer. I would like to see comparison numbers on the “safeties get you killed” argument that rule out factors of surprise, weapon malfunction, or the user keeping his finger OFF the trigger while “pulling it” like that guy who was almost carjacked of his 1992
pathfinder by a left-handed carjacker. Can’t remember the name but all that detail, go figure.
+1 Curtis. And Lake co Indiana doesn’t count. Everyone & their dog legally carrying. No FOID. $120 lifetime carry,no training, basically paradise a mile from my house. I might be off a bit on the actual numbers but not by much.
I like this , it also goes on to educate the young in our country about the Rights bestowed on us , and what we will have to do to preserve them . These parents are good , there seems to be the need for more like them ! Be prepared and ready. Keep your powder dry.
Another proud gun owner , we need more like this if they plan to stand together and fight the tyranny that is taking our God given rights from us , myself I do not want to be a slave , and will not be . Be prepared and ready. Keep your powder dry.
How about if we all implant a chip with 666 in our hands or foreheads…for the children.
What a fantastic article!!
Thanks
I bet the nurses saying that are in unions.
I haven’t had the time to read the article in detail which I will do this evening. However, come way axking wouldn’t center of gravity also play a bit role in muzzle rise? Everything else equal wouldn’t you expect polymer framed handguns to be “snappier” becuae of the higher CQ? That could explain why the 1911 doesn’t rise as much as expected from the simple calculations. There is so much weight in the grip that it acts to reduce the muzzle rise. 1911s and other steel framed pistols always tend to have more push than flip.
Pistol design ought to have an impact. I have a Kahr that has much less rise than an XD, and as you may recall, Robert was ecstatic abut the felt recoil in his beloved safe queen Caracal. I am pretty sure this has to do with how close the hold is to the centerline of the barrel.
I’m not usually one for ornate guns, but that is indeed beautiful. Tastefully done, and I’ve never seen such an action before.
The fact is, the technology WILL change over time. If we could fast forward a hundred years, I wonder what we’d be carrying for protection. Assuming, of course, that there’s anything left to protect.
Interesting discussion. Bottom line to me is that you must know your weapon, you must practice with your weapon (handling, using, drawing, shooting), you must be fully aware at all times of surroundings, your weapon and it’s status. I carry a full size 1911 cocked and locked, have for more years than I care to remember. The first time I carried my 1911 though, i carried hammer down, no round in the chamber so I could begin to understand and know what I was feeling and know what was an uncommon feeling. My next step was to carry cocked and locked no round in the chamber. To me the next logical step. These first two steps were also compromised of drawing practice from concealment and not moving until I felt comfortable. Final stage was cocked and locked with round in the chamber, my normal carry mode.
Taught my wife to shoot with my 1911, she qualified for CCH with it as well. She wanted something not as heavy, which I fully understood. Bought her a Glock 26 for conceal carry. First Glock I have ever bought, but not the first one I have shot or handled. Several buddies of mine have them and i have shot thousands of rounds from a Glock. I have begun to implement the same type of training with her, and with me as I might have instance to carry the 26. The first thing is to go over safety on the Glock, it is not a 1911 and hence has inherent differences. Once again know your weapon. First order of business is to familiarize with the gun and become comfortable shooting it. Next how will I or her carry it, third get the proper carry equipment, ie holster, next carry unloaded, then carry loaded no round in chamber, finally if and when comfortable and fully confident that it can be carried loaded, I or she will proceed. Once again, this method has worked for me quite well. It’s my two cents worth. I also use to be a Glock bashing 1911 shouting praise kind of guy, I still love my 1911, but I have no problem shooting or recommending a Glock. Sorry for the long post, I rarely post anywhere, mainly read and think, practice and shoot.
With respect to the 2nd Amendment, the whjole militia debate is moot as a result of Heller. As far as being a balance against governmental power, it is definitely still necessary.This guy still doesn’t understand that a militia is made up of the people and run by the people. the National Guard and SWAT and other law enforcement organizations are made up of the people and run by the government.
Do these nimrods realize David *is* armed in Michelangelo’s sculpture? He’s holding a sling in one hand, and a rock in the other. Which he used to kill Goliath.
The moral of the story, of course, is ban slings. Or at least criminalize the carry of more than seven rocks. For the children.
Yes, we do. But are we prepared?
Next on TTAG. The Walther P22 and Kel Tec KSG combo giveaway. Fanfreakingtastic.
Sure, I would. I don’t see what’s so far fetched about it. As mentioned, we have volunteer trial juries (nominal $6/day pay notwithstanding), but we also have volunteer grand juries, too, on both the state and federal levels.
Numerous communities and even entire cities are protected by volunteer fire departments. I’m not just talking about remote, isolated little bucket brigades in the middle of nowhere, either. I’m talking about major population centers.
Houston suburb Pasadena,TX has the nation’s largest volunteer fire department. Ok, Pasadena has a resident population of but approx. 150,000, but the city has a daytime population that swells to more than a million. It’s also home to many major petroleum refineries. Many large, upscale residential communities outside of the Houston, or any city’s, limits are served by volunteer fire departments, too, and their home insurance providers are entirely comfortable with it. Mine own included.
Beyond that, there are even elected offices that are entirely volunteer. In Texas, school board members are unpaid. Imagine that: all the hassle, struggle, stress and expense of a political campaign and office, but without any of the pay or perqs. Yet, some competent citizens, often with full time careers and families, take on that challenge every day because they believe in their local comunity and want to help shape and secure its future.
Even in law enforcement, we have volunteers. In Harris County (Houston), our Sheriff’s Department and others field reserve officers. These are regular men and women, with regular day jobs, who are licenced as peace officers, i.e., real cops. They volunteer their time on fixed monthly schedules, in addition to during emergencies. With the exception of their cruiser, they pay for all of their own gear.
I’d expect many people would join state militias. If they didn’t, it would only be because they’re too busy serving their community in some other capacity already.
The whole concept of a citizen militia was valid in colonial and frontier days. But if we’re all members of the militia can you imagine the clusterphuck if the state or feds were to call up the militia because of some emergency?
It would take 6 months to a year, minimum, to make them ready for anything other than cannon fodder and mine field clearers. And I’m probably being overly kind in that time frame.
I went looking for a militia to join when Bill Clinton was elected. Without exception all the militias I found were white power oriented bible thumpers who were not interested in constitutional rights for anybody but themselves.
If we are to have a citizen militia it would have to be organised now and train regularly and be under the states or feds control or it’s just a gang waiting to abuse those weaker than it.
What’s .270 Rem? Is there a magical new .270 cartridge apart from the .270 Winchester?
As a matter of practicality, it makes sense to issue an injunction to prevent the enforcement of the law, as once the city gets the pre-ban magazine they will likely destroy it. And it isn’t like the city can just go buy a replacement magazine and declare it pre-ban.
So if the law gets overturned, the result is the same they people that owned pre-ban magazines will no longer have them. So even if Justice Kennedy agrees with the law, it only makes sense to prevent the enforcement until people get their due process.
ATF scare tactics to cool gun sales? AKA “false flag”? I would never put it past ’em.
I’m glad to see some numbers that support my position about how I have felt the more mass to the gun plus a high grain cartridge, while probably imparting more actual recoil force to the shooter, is a more manageable and slower “backward” impulse more or less which does not move the sights off the X-axis close to as much as a lighter gun with lower grain rounds and imparts more y-axis torque that give a “jump” that is quicker-thus harder to stabilize on the X with followup shots. These stats are somewhat why I really don’t care for the .40 SW, I feel it has more of the bad qualities of both 9mm and .45ACP (faster y-axis recoil impulse=harder followup shots vs. lower magazine capacity/decreased frequency of lead sent per unit of time/marginal potency difference between modern 9 and .45 carts [yeah, I’ll take the heat for that last but I’m a big boy]). In the end I would much rather carry a quality 9 or 45 with fairly heavy grain cartridges and have the best traits of one aspect with acceptable tradeoffs in their weaknesses rather than a good .40 that is an almost jack-of-most trades but master of none.
Love the gun-geek ballistics crunching and comparing real world use to the raw numbers. I’d like to go even farther and start reloading to tweak stuff even farther. But that scene is kind of a fiduciary event horizon for me these days. Howzabout shotgun felt recoil “lab work” for another article, I actually R most TL;DRs. like this.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Here comes the Serial numbering or IDing of AMMO too!!