Home » Blogs » Lt. Col. Robert Bateman [Not Shown] on Guns: Screw You

Lt. Col. Robert Bateman [Not Shown] on Guns: Screw You

Robert Farago - comments No comments

Rhianna (courtesy globalgrind.com)

Esquire owes its existence to English foppery: a perfectly dreadful combination of elitism and, uh, give me a moment would you? Shotguns (and hunting and hunting dogs and hunting clothes) are as important to the English upper class’s self-image as bumping uglies with servants is to their genetic health. So it’s no surprise that Esquire scribe Lt. Col. Robert Bateman’s five-point plan to “fix” the Second Amendment—in the sense that one fixes a dog—starts by exempting double-barrel breech-loading shotguns. “Hunting with these is valid,” he asserts, aping aristocrats who believe that an accident of birth is all the justification one needs for any firmly held opinion. Bateman’s list also exempts police from any of his gun control platform—because they work for the Powers That Be, of course. His is a vision of totalitarian hell as seen through the eyes of a champagne socialist. Scary stuff . . .

1. The only guns permitted will be the following:

  • a. Smoothbore or Rifled muzzle-loading blackpowder muskets. No 7-11 in history has ever been held up with one of these.
  • b. Double-barrel breech-loading shotguns. Hunting with these is valid.
  • c. Bolt-action rifles with a magazine capacity no greater than five rounds. Like I said, hunting is valid. But if you cannot bring down a defenseless deer in under five rounds, then you have no fking reason to be holding a killing tool in the first place.

2. We will pry your gun from your cold, dead, fingers. That is because I am willing to wait until you die, hopefully of natural causes. Guns, except for the three approved categories, cannot be inherited. When you die your weapons must be turned into the local police department, which will then destroy them. (Weapons of historical significance will be de-milled, but may be preserved.)

3. Police departments are no longer allowed to sell or auction weapons used in crimes after the cases have been closed. (That will piss off some cops, since they really need this money. But you know what they need more? Less violence and death. By continuing the process of weapon recirculation, they are only making their jobs — or the jobs of some other cops — harder.)

4. We will submit a new tax on ammunition. In the first two years it will be 400 percent of the current retail cost of that type of ammunition. (Exemptions for the ammo used by the approved weapons.) Thereafter it will increase by 20 percent per year.

5. We will initiate a nationwide “buy-back” program, effective immediately, with the payouts coming from the DoD budget. This buy-back program will start purchasing weapons at 200 percent of their face value the first year, 150 percent the second year, 100 percent the third year. Thereafter there will be a 10 year pause, at which point the guns can be sold to the government at 10 percent of their value for the next 50 years.

6. The major gun manufactures of the United States, less those who create weapons for the federal government and the armed forces, will be bought out by the United States of America, for our own damned good.

[h/t CCW Guy]

Photo of author

Robert Farago

Robert Farago is the former publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns.

0 thoughts on “Lt. Col. Robert Bateman [Not Shown] on Guns: Screw You”

  1. Saw this article the day it got posted…

    I don’t even have any words for this “man.” He is an utter disgrace to the country he swore to protect. He squandered his oath to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States.

    TEXT DELETED

    Reply
  2. Who determines the face value for the buy back? Sounds like this idiot thinks the 2nd Amendment was put in place to allow hunters to have guns. I guess he did not study early American history.

    Reply
  3. I’ve long had somewhat mixed opinions on el cheapo handguns. Like most of us, I think that there’s a bit of a certain snooty factor at work when it comes to so-called “Saturday Night Special” legislation. (Snootiness from higher-end gun owners/dealers, but IMO just plain old hatefulness on the part of the statists). But – I also absolutely believe that there should be an unfettered free market in these handguns. My recommendation is to only buy one of these if you need one NOW (for lawful self-defense and provided you have nothing else at hand. Even at minimum wage it’s possible to get a used scattergun or milsurp rifle for scarcely 20 bucks more, and what’s better is to put a TCP on layaway somewhere. Or, if you need a handgun for home defense instead of CC, then consider something like the Ruger P95 or S&W Sigma – both can be had for low 300’s, which would translate to 3 payments of a little over $100. The Ruger used to be even more affordable 10 years ago.

    I liked the review and found it to be kinda interesting. But the moral of the whole thing is simply this – think and plan ahead of time so that you can invest in something of better quality as much as reasonably possible.

    Tom

    Reply
  4. I tried to read the original article without throwing up.

    This guy reminds me of Nikita Khrushchev. (Yes, I’m that old.)

    However, at least Khrushchev wasn’t ashamed of his country or his military career.

    Reply
  5. LtCol Bateman, after very careful consideration, sir, I’ve come to the conclusion that your suggestions to “fix” the 2nd Amendment sucks.

    Reply
  6. The only times I remember MacGyver using a gun in are:

    1) When he shoots his friend (unacceptable).
    2) When he knocks the crane and cylinder off of a S&W N frame to use the frame as a wrench to avert a nuclear power plant meltdown (acceptable).
    3) As a hammer to strike the primer of a casing and ignite powder in a lock cylinder to break the lock (the jury is still out).
    4) An AK47 tied to a tree and dropped muzzle down to continuously fire and act as a distraction device (acceptable).

    Reply
  7. Why wait until I’m dead? You obviously want them so bad, why don’t you come after them now?

    I thought there was a law against the mentally ill owning double-barrel shotguns.

    Reply
  8. This guy is a disgrace to the country he supposedly served, and I don’t say that lightly. He is talking about crushing the rights and freedoms that make up the American way of life.

    Are guns dangerous in the wrong hands? Sure. But so is free speech.

    Reply
    • Yeah, and to take 1st Amendment abuse a step further; look at the outright affirmative lies and lies by omission the Democrats and antis perpetually put out to hoodwink the unknowing voting public into supporting their illogical, ineffective, often damaging initiatives.

      PS Yes, I’m aware of the pitfalls and the ‘chilling’ effect such sanctions might have.

      If truth in politics was an enforceable obligation, the political landscape would be quite different, and the Democratic Administration in place today would not exist. Veracity in political representations by candidates and office holders should be an enforceable obligation.

      If a politician or political organization knowing lies, or lies by omission, there should be effective sanctions such as political debarment and heavy fines to discourage the actions of those who knowingly perpetuate the lies. Ignorance of the truth of an assertion would be no defense.

      Reply
  9. Im gonna create one of these events and hold it at a friends property. While there, we will shoot to our hearts content, learn some defensive tactics, and then shoot some more. We’ll even have a few teachers and a principal there. The funny thing is; i wouldnt have to create an event. This is life where i live, at least twice a month. 50+ people, and tons of guns. Then we break bread and have a few drinks.

    Reply
  10. Who cares. Regular Army Col. who obviously got passed up because he’s either inept or his command and control is lacking. Don’t care what lower level politicians think, he’s just another POS jockeying for the approval of the current administration.

    Reply
  11. So, this guy is very good at violence, per his own admission in the source Esquire article. Oh, yeah, tough guy, where’s your Combat Infantryman’s Badge? Missing, I see. Ah, I think… a staff wienie. A “strategist”. A “thinker”.

    The most important part of the Second Amendment is not the part about the militia; the operative part is about “the People”. Sorry you don’t get that, Mr. Bateman. I get very easily how anyone who progresses through the ranks in the military can get sort of elitist; it’s probably a consequence of having genuine authority over people for a long time, which makes me wonder what it must be like to be the wife of a retired general who used to command thousands. So, Mr. Bateman, the People call you on your bullshit and leave you with only a simple phrase even you can understand. Bring it.

    I used to think that the ex-major who was our JROTC instructor in high school was the biggest numbskull ever produced by the US military. I now stand corrected.

    Reply
  12. 6. The major gun manufactures of the United States, less those who create weapons for the federal government and the armed forces, will be bought out by the United States of America, for our own damned good.

    Yea – almost all of the manufacturers are looking to manufacture for the Feds. In fact they compete for the opportunity.

    taxing ammunition in this manner will only make all gun owners reloaders. New and inventive means will be brought about to further this purpose as we’ll.

    This garbage is not a solution at all. It only seeks to p!ss off every gun owner with exception to the fudds. That’s a great idea – p!ss off 146 million gun owners.

    Reply
    • Which is probably more realistic than today’s tv where everyone gets hit and you die instantly without screaming in agony as you bleed out.

      Ah, the Ruger Mini-14 and blanks…

      Reply
  13. Bateman needs to go to his own mag’s archives and read “The Case FOR Guns” in the Sept. 1981 issue of ESQUIRE. It was the cover story, as I recall.
    Maybe that would nudge him back toward reality. Probably not, but it’s the story of a LA liberal (autobiographical) who gradually had to face the reality of his declining neighborhood. An excellent read.

    Reply
  14. Is there any proof that this “Lt. Col” actually was one, or if possibly…just MAYBE, he’s a liberal who is pretending to have been one?

    Reply
  15. So let me get this straight. Esquire magazine, who hasn’t yet figured out that untucked button-ups with jeans look awesome, is trying to fix the second amendment for me? That’ll work well.

    Reply
  16. I saw his name “Bateman” and what immediately came to mind was Frito on the movie “idiocracy” saying “Go Away!… I’m Batin!”

    http://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Idiocracy

    Jokes aside, His solution is not to address “gun violence” but to further expand the governments power. If they take that right away – how do we know for sure that press and speech rights aren’t next?

    Reply
  17. This is exactly why I have said that velocity is important when doing gun reviews, especially handguns. JHP’s have an “operating range” where too little velocity yields unsatisfactory expansion. I’m curious if the 9mm +P would generate sufficient velocity to increase expansion and decrease penetration. I’m sure we’ll eventually find out.

    Reply
    • We will indeed find out. I’ve got the “+P” version of Critical Duty ammo on order; when it comes in we’ll have a direct comparison between how the standard-pressure and “+P” versions compare, from the 3″ barrel.

      I am slightly optimistic, I expect the additional velocity will result in additional expansion for the “+P” version, which will likely rein in the penetration down into the good zone.

      However, who knows? It’s dangerous to assume anything. I mean, what if Critical Duty uses a slower-burning powder, and doesn’t reach full velocity until 4″ or 4.5″ of travel? It may turn out that there’s no significant or appreciable velocity difference out of the short barrel. So it may or may not make a difference.

      Only way to know for sure, is to test it!

      Reply
  18. Ah… Russian ingenuity. I am reminded that NASA spent several million dollars to have space pens developed that could write in zero gravity. The Russians just gave their cosmonauts pencils.

    Sometimes simple is good enough.

    Reply
    • Great story, not true. First, astronauts of both nations initially used pencils. But pencils have other problems like graphite dust getting into electronics and such. The Fisher Space Pen was developed independently, and privately, by the Fisher Pen Company, at which point he offered it to NASA and they tested and then bought it from him, but not for millions of dollars.

      Reply
  19. It’s at the point where I care very little, if at all, about foreign invaders. It’s those domestic terrorists, at the Federal, State and Local level, that concern me the most. And THAT, my friends, is why I choose to keep my guns.

    Reply
  20. The last time those tea baggers tried to take away our guns…….well……they didn’t get to come home to “Mum” with the same amount of holes that they left with.

    Reply
    • Unfortunately we did not teach you what your daddy should have, to put your name where your opinion was. See, being anonymous is, well, as your daddy should have taught you, being a coward.

      Coward.

      Bob Bateman

      Reply
  21. It’s always amuses me when high ranking officers get into political discussions, it very fitting.

    Because anyone who has served one day in the military knows that most high ranking officers usually get to that position by being politicians and kissing brass- not from being battle hardened commanders, with ice water running through their vein.

    As an E-4, I got into a screaming match with some know it all, pompous O-3 trying to pull rank with some crap he had no idea about. He was some rich ass, college boy with a music degree from Dartmouth, attempting to tell me how do the job I’ve been trained to do, and was doing everyday, for 4 freaking years.

    I’m not saying all officers are dbag, there are some great ones out there, but this guy probably fits in the dbag category.

    The Lt Col here probably had too many people calling him sir and kissing his ass, now he thinks his shit doesn’t stink. Well, brass doesn’t equal intelligence, sir.

    Reply
    • Since when did guns have politics?

      Last I checked guns were pieces of metal. Pieces of metal don’t have politics.

      Bob Bateman

      Reply
  22. I’ve read some of Bateman’s other screeds as background. Judging by his writing ‘style’ I am left in doubt as to his level of education and maturity, not what one expects from a staff level officer. For a man who puts himself at the center of every article he writes (We know he contributes to the ACLU) Bateman say’s very little about his military career one would think he’d be proud enough to at least drop a hint as to his curricula vitae, but no.
    So the question lingers: Is this ma fraud?

    Reply
  23. I wish more people like this man would write articles like this and that all patriots would read them. This sh*t is going to hit the fan sooner or later and I figure the sooner it happens the less mess to clean up after. If enough new world order freaks like this guy come out of the closet and spew crap like this we can get it over with.

    Reply
  24. Seems like a huge waste of plastic. At least lead and brass can be recycled. I see this as being better suited to aircraft/ or U/MAV applications. F22s would love to have lighter ammo.

    Reply
  25. What a beautiful story. I don’t cry but I will admit that I felt my eyes getting a little misty.

    Damn fine writing and a damn fine story.

    Good job, Aaron.

    Reply
  26. “Thereafter there will be a 10 year pause, at which point the guns can be sold to the government at 10 percent of their value for the next 50 years.” — a suggestion from Lt. Col. Robert Bateman on how to “fix” the Second Amendment

    This is awesome because their (“forbidden” firearms) value will likely be upwards of $50,000 in Lt. Col. Bateman’s scenario. I would be quite tempted to turn in several firearms for $5,000 each.

    Oh, and another highlight of Lt. Col. Bateman’s plan: assuming that citizens turn in 200 million of their firearms at that time (at $5,000 each), it will only cost the government a TRILLION dollars (yes, that is correct) to purchase all those firearms. Of course this is also in line with Lt. Col. Bateman’s communist goal of bankrupting the country even further.

    Reply
  27. I thought of this article when I first noticed the Esquire piece:

    http://www.starvingthemonkeys.com/articles/Colonels.html

    “At ease, Marines, and be seated” orders the gruff Gunnery Sergeant. “Now turn to Chapter 8 in your Military Constitutional Law text,” he continues. “Today we discuss the appropriate conditions for shooting a colonel who is issuing an order which would violate the Constitutional rights of American citizens. Our first scenario involves gun seizures…”

    Reply
  28. When I was an undergrad, like all others with my medical aspirations, I did research for formal academic credit (and the experience and chance at a contact).
    The person I worked for was the head of the Epidemiology dept at the med school at my college. And she was married to the Chairman of the Admissions Committee at said med school.
    When I was applying to med school, I met with her to talk about the application and interview process. In particular, I wanted to get a sense about tough and controversial questions that may come up in interviews and how to handle them. One of the topics I breached was ‘universal healthcare’ and the pros and cons of it. Having grown up in such a utopian society, I indulged some of the nuanced “con” points.

    She cut me off very sternly and lectured me that we must have universal health care and that we will have it – “whether people like it or not”.
    That was in 1991….

    Reply
  29. Great story, takes me back to my first hunts around the same time.

    Teachable moment, and a lesson taught to me back then…wait and watch a downed animal for a few minutes (which feels like ages) and always give a good poke in the eye.

    Reply
  30. The “face value” of my custom built AZEX custom built AK47? I’d prolly put it somewhere around the $10,000 range if they wanted “Face value” as determined by -me.- Considering this is a one of a kind, custom built rifle, built to my own personal specifications.. After all.

    Otherwise I’d prolly say somewhere around $1200-1300 for those gun owners that actually appreciate AK47s and know what I have. Hoho.

    Reply
  31. Esquire’s cable channel was recently added to the lineup here. I couldn’t stand more than a few minutes of it. So many betas who have firmly convinced themselves that they are the end all, be all.

    Reply
  32. I think it’s an excellent idea. Yes, when the government attempts to tax the citizenry’s rights into oblivion, that always ends well.

    Reply
  33. I found that a great part of my family’s wealth was held in the traditions we had and the stories that came out of them. You are rich indeed.

    BTW, at first I thought it was a caption contest so:
    “Because of his love of guns, the young lad pictured was given the nickname of “Bang” by his Pop, but his gun only goes pop, and his Pop’s gun goes bang.”

    Reply
  34. This man is a dumbass of unimaginable proportions, if this is how he thinks then he should grab his buddy Piers and live in jolly old England with the rest of the God save the queen socialists.

    Reply
  35. I couldn’t afford to feed it, even if I could afford to buy it.

    If I could afford the care and feeding of a machine gun before I bought a MINIMI I would buy a BAR, M2 HB, or an M1919.

    Reply
  36. I feel like a buzzkill saying it, but nah. If I can have a FA I want either an SMG or some kind of PDW. A SCAR L with a 10 inch barrel sounds like the tops.

    Reply
  37. I’d buy one! Nice to see they have addressed ergonomics – I thought the M-249 was one of the least comfortable firearms I’ve ever shot, but the M-240 was a sweetheart!

    And I don’t understand why the registry is closed.
    Statistically speaking, aren’t legal MG’s the least used in crimes? IIRC, only two have ever been used in crimes, so that makes them a hell of a lot safer than your average Glock… Right?

    Reply
  38. People are free to choose whatever platform they like. Even if someone chooses to carry a relatively weak caliber, the important thing is that they’re exercising a civil right that many people are trying to destroy. They’ve overcome the antigun propaganda that we see every day. They should be lauded, not criticized.

    Reply
  39. It isn’t really practical. I think I read once they used to sell belt fed machine guns for kids through mail order catalog long ago. I think it was a .22 or something?

    I would much rather go for something like an SBR or SMG if everything was legal all of a sudden. Carrying around belts of ammunition just doesn’t seem worth it.

    Reply
  40. It would be like owning a sports car. Expensive to maintain and use. For most people it wouldn’t get used much or at all. Look at Ebay motors and see how many Ferraris and Lamborghinis have low miles, even for 10-20 year old cars.

    Buy hey, if you have the cash to burn…

    Reply
  41. Even if I could buy one, do I really have a few thousand kicking around for a heavy range toy with no other real purpose? Carrying a SAW around sucks. So right now, the answer is no, but in the future when I get rich it could be kind of fun. Just like Maseratis and Ferraris. Most of us don’t care about them, and have no use for them. I’d just like to be ABLE to buy whatever I want.

    More importantly, what I would like to be able to buy, at bargain price, with no NFA restrictions:

    Mark 18 CQBR M4A1, with a good quality suppressor on it.

    Assuming there were no restrictions, I seriously doubt that between all the various companies in the business (Colt, AAC, Surefire, Cough cough), they couldn’t put together a high quality “everyman-home defense platform” with rifle, suppressor light, and sling for under 1800 out the door. That’s the first Item I would buy, and probably the last. Maybe two, just to have an extra laying around in case I need a loaner.

    Reply
  42. What? The 2A is about HUNTING? I think not. Somebody needs to school this idiot on that old rag the Constitution, the one he swore to uphold. Didn’t the scotus once even rule that sawed-off shotguns were illegal because they lacked military purpose? (though they were wrong, of course). The constitution is a literal document. Do not read “sensible exceptions” into it.

    Reply
  43. From an aesthetic standpoint, I wouldn’t give it houseroom. I’d rather have my old Spandau Maxim 08 water-cooled MG that I swapped for a bunch of handguns back in 1960. Now that was a work of art!

    Reply
  44. Sounds like time for a class-action civil suit. This seems like the ‘taking of property’ without compensation, much like condemning real property for a road project without actually paying the owner for his/her loss.

    Reply
  45. Interesting note, from the letter at the top, it lists an Izmash “B. Trainer”, which I can only assume is a biathlon rifle (e.g. BI-7-4) from the make and description. It should be noted that this is a 10 pound BOLT-ACTION rifle that DOES NOT have magazines that hold more than 5 rounds. The only way it could possibly be construed as violating the law is if you include relay magazines, which hold 5 rounds, plus three in a separate compartment attached to the bottom of the magazine which are intended to be loaded singly during competition. This is a small step above keeping three rounds in a pocket. This just illustrates how much of a fishing expedition these letters are.

    Reply
  46. Ok first if your gun goes off its because of you its called neglect. This woman in the vid does not have any kind of training . I carry a fire arm for work for 20 years when I went to the bathroom my gun never went off at all or fell for that matter. If a person shoots his or her gun in any restroom she should never have a gun. If your gun goes off its your fault you pulled the trigger and you are a threat to the public.

    Reply
  47. Great article and many good comments afterward. I agree about the training aspects. I’m not joining the military so why should I train like I am. But training aside, if the young man mentioned above is interested in CCW and only has a 100 bucks left at the end of the month he better start saving up.

    Even if he already owns a gun it still costs. Living in IL I’m just getting into CCW. The required class costs $350 plus another $50 or more for a couple or three boxes of ammo to shoot the qualification. The application fee is over $100. You’ll need digital finger prints and those cost $50-$75 from what I hear. Plus you’ll need some kind of locking storage at home and in each of your cars so that’s at least another $100 even if you’re cheaping out (much more if you go biometric or something).

    So, for me, its going to cost north of $700 to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights. And that does not include the cost of a gun! In its current state, at least here, CCW is not for the poor or those just making ends meet.

    Now add the cost of the gun and the young man will need to save up all his spare change for at least a year for CCW. Its probably less expensive elsewhere but this IL after all.

    Reply
  48. The entire world of training can be a complicated mess these days. It’s a shame that there are so many tactical gurus out across the web especially spouting off about what needs to be. Talking is the easy part, and that’s why so many are so good at it. To borrow a phrase from someone I have deep respect for: The Dream is damned and Dreamer too if Dreaming’s all that Dreamers do.

    Misleading folks is not what I do, and that’s not what I am about. I do believe in realistic training for ordinary people. Wearing 5-11 tactical garb to the firing lines won’t make you shoot any better. Showing up with an attitude to learn will.

    I think the efforts to push training are quite a bit misunderstood as well. Seeing people over extend their financial well being is NOT something that any trainer/instructor regularly sees, let me assure you. In fact the exact opposite is the norm. 99/100 people attend some sort of an event called a “concealed weapons class” that may last up to 4 hours (many are over in less than 1 hour) and that is it. Forever.

    These folks soon adopt an attitude of ”I have a gun & a permit to carry so what else is there”. “If something happens I just pull my pistol and blaze away”. To further their “training” they watch a few videos on YouTube,,,,, and BINGO! They have arrived. Skills are NOT going to fall freely from the sky upon you in your 3 seconds of need. Un less you were born with some God given talent like Jelly Bryce or Ed McGivern, you will work hard to develop some practical defensive skills.

    I have spent a good deal of my life working as a CRSO & a professional firearms instructor. Some days I am stunned that some folks are allowed to drive a car let alone carry guns. Many time upon approaching someone I observe committing a serious safety infraction I am presented with the classic response “well I usually don’t do that”. Well then why the hell are you doing that now? If I observe long enough I can typically see the same safety infraction committed multiple times before that individual leaves the firing line.

    Not everybody out there can safely handle firearms. Some need ALLOT more help than others. Go to your local gun shop or gun show & observe the SCARY firearms handling going on. OH,,, I forgot, the gun was unloaded. Silly me,,, pardon me.

    A while ago I was contacted by a couple. They told me “we already have our permits, but we need to learn how to shoot”. OK,,, to me this is the cart before the horse. Upon their arrival, I commanded them to unholster any firearms, and make them safe, laying then on the bench in front of us. I got blank stares from the both of them,,, kinda like that deer looking into the headlights. After I made both guns safe, I inquired just how long they both “had their permits”. 9 years was their answer. I asked if in those 9 years we had ever shot the guns, or cleaned the gun. NO was the answer. My next question was WHO loaded these guns originally. The guy at the gun store they replied. So for 9 years we had two clueless campers wondering about with loaded handguns they understood nothing about. I don’t exactly get all warm n fuzzy here.
    WHO holds these people’s hands while they are carrying out in John Q. Public?

    Training in my opinion is 90% mental and 10% physical. There is a factor of mindset that most instructors never touch upon. If they do it is quick. Most ranges are not user friendly to concealed carry practice. They prohibit drawing form a holster or other carry method. Many have target distance restrictions. Movement??? Are you kidding me?!

    So the average Joe carrying has NEVER drawn his handgun from a holster. Add a good dose of stress while under attack, and he will surely muzzle sweep everything within a 240 degree radius whipping out his shooter, Muzzle awareness,,,, what’s that?

    The patina we call civilization these days recognizes possession of a tangible item as success. Buy as new gun or holster, and you are well armed. Skills don’t come in a box, and they can’t be bought. Skills are techniques that are properly learned, and then practiced & refined by mass repetitions until they become muscle memory. I consider muscle memory to be an absolute when it comes to defensive issues. Why? Because in a fight you likely will not be thinking,,, there won’t be time. I contend that we will function from knee jerk reactions,,, habits,,, muscle memory.

    Males more than females have EGO. The average male doesn’t want to look like he doesn’t know. So more than not, he pretends. All of us were beginners at one time. I consider myself to always be a student. In the defensive lifestyle, you NEVER “arrive”. There is always something new to learn.

    Many people confuse shooting with training. Many folks measure the intensity of their training by round count, if you shot 50 rounds,,, well it was an easy day. But if you dumped 300 rounds into the dirt,,,, well, you really trained hard. There are may days I train before classes. Some days I never fire a round. I do practice moves, and dry fire too. A gun doesn’t always have to go BANG for me to be training.

    Shooting is a perishable skill. I would not ask anybody to live beyond their means and go broke in training fees. But with the current state of affairs in this country I consider training to be defensive insurance. We have car insurance, homeowners insurance, health insurance, etc. So what not plan to have defensive insurance as well, plan for it, lay a few shekels aside when you can and make reasonable plans to train.

    Reply
  49. I would rather my Nieces have to Explain to the Sheriff why some Asswipe has a Fist sized hole in his chest from My Glock 30, Than to have to ID their body at the morgue. LTL is a Joke. The PD here decided to try them out. At 30 ft it wouldn’t stop a Cheerleader with an Inkpen.

    Reply
  50. I’m an AK guy. Of the Sonny Puzikas school of thought (minus the shooting the friendlys part…). We do not put anything on our rifles besides a sling.

    That said, after I “built” (moved pins, slapped upper into lower, replaced pins) my first M-4 pattern carbine length Right Angle – 15 rifle, I decided to do an 1A build specifically specifically so I only use irons and am not tempted to spend hundreds of Christmas present dollars on reflex sights (and I thought it would fun – for historical reasons – to have an example of the American’s response to the AKM).

    Reply
  51. I need to win the lottery…

    On a more serious and praticool note, how long do y’all think it will be until we get carbon nano-tube Lvl. IV armor? Anybody feel like taking out a second mortgage for something that will, all else being being equal, last forever? 😉

    Reply
  52. LOL! I had to scroll WAAAY down!

    I’m an ‘Old Schooler.’ Before I buy anything gun related I research that item thoroughly. RARELY do I have the latest or greatest. Some of that is just budget. MOST of that is having been around a few, OK more than a few, years and seeing fads hit my hobby…..I learned to NOT buy the latest or greatest or the most advertised!

    MY shotguns are older than most that read this…..tactical…..NEVER fail.

    My personal rifle! AK…in .223…both collector’s items now. NORINCO….the best.

    My GLOCK G21…1ST gen. Colt 1911 pattern highly customized by me.

    Lately a BG380…..REALLY like it!

    XDs….tweaked and LOVE this pistol!

    However, IMHO spend time on the Shooter….the weapon is a tool. I have hammers and vice grips older than you too!…Hell! I have hammers older than me! LOL!

    Spend your money…OK..I do….but don’t waste it! Buy bullets and range time. Photo ops are BORING!

    Reply
  53. Cops “threaten” people with harassment in order to compel consent all of the time. It completely vitiates consent, but they do it anyway. Sadly, they are good at it. They know when the voice recorder is going; they know where the mic is located and how to cover it effectively; they know how to get away with it. And they know to lie about it.

    Also in the news: Politicians Lie.

    Reply
  54. Daniel, my understanding is that in California we must hunt with JHP’s. That bullet from the hog does not look like it expanded or was not a JHP. What’s the deal with that?

    Expensive or not, I am sure happy to hear that at least one manufacture is trying to make a variety of leadfree ammo. It is hard enough to find ammo here at all. I have yet to find leadfree 223.

    Reply
  55. Why does anyone listen to a child talk about a topic like this? I have a high expectation for children but M Theory doesn’t come up in casual conversation.

    Reply
  56. So, whats a BUG?

    I’m not a hunter (yet) so excuse the stupid questions please. If you killed a deer, how would you have gotten it home? Those things are heavy, aren’t they?

    Reply
  57. Any time you hear the term ‘Gun Violence’ the obvious anti gun rant is to follow.

    Violence is violence! People kill people.

    My daughter was taken by someone with a knife. The method is not important. There is no recovery from a parent losing a child. I’m disgusted at such tragedy being blamed on guns!

    Reply
  58. Submitted my letter. I talked about how CLEO sign-offs cost $150 in the Municipality of Anchorage (Alaska). For the four people on our family’s trust, this would cost us an additional $600 per NFA item. Alaska law requires the local PD or Alaska State Troopers to sign off on NFA paperwork, but the law does not say they have to do it for free. Maybe this will change.

    Reply
    • I’m sure you are always armed and ready to defend yourself, the very thing which you detest when it comes to law abiding citizens carrying to protect themselves and their families. Don’t preach to me about gun control.

      Reply
    • I am certain that you have the resources readily available to break into my e-mail, my Facebook account, and obtain my personal information via intelligence agencies and the N.S.A. I have absolutely nothing to hide, and the name provided is accurate. You see, I do not live under the precipice of big government ruling over every aspect of my life, and doing so under a dark veil of secrecy. I do not embrace an ideology of total authoritarianism, such as you do. Truly ask yourself, Mr Bateman…which is more cowardly? Standing up for your individual liberty, or spouting off like some out of control dictator who currently does not even reside in his country of origin and has all the resources of BIG government to bring harm upon innocent civilians. Which, Mr. Bateman, is more cowardly?

      Reply
  59. RockOnHellChild – I hope I spelled your name right – you crack me up.
    “Four freaking years” at your job, the job you were so good at you could go to to toe with a Captain (Assuming you’re pretending to have army service) but, in all that time, all you could make was E-4?
    Real rate-grabber weren’t you.
    I only made E-4 during my four years active Navy (1972-6) but I was a screw-off.
    I did make Sergeant during my later seven years with the ORANG.
    I’m simply agog with curiosity. Please, enlighten me on the disposition of the Article15 you received after your courageous stand. I’ll bet precedent was set and Speedy-fours were put in charge from then on.
    Col. Bateman. Mass respect, sir.
    Lot’s of Call Of Duty vets here.

    Reply
  60. Robert Bateman:

    “A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves … and include all men capable of bearing arms.” — Senator Richard Henry Lee, 1788, on “militia” in the 2nd Amendment

    & what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that his people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. — Thomas Jefferson, letter to Col. William S. Smith, 1787

    “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government” — Thomas Jefferson, 1 Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

    “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” – — Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

    “One of the ordinary modes, by which tyrants accomplish their purposes without resistance, is, by disarming the people, and making it an offense to keep arms.” – — Constitutional scholar Joseph Story, 1840

    Men trained in arms from their infancy, and animated by the love of liberty, will afford neither a cheap or easy conquest. – — From the Declaration of the Continental Congress, July 1775.

    “Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom.” — John F. Kennedy

    The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them.” — Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story of the John Marshall Court

    “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.” — George Washington, in a speech of January 7, 1790

    False is the idea of utility that sacrifices a thousand real advantages for one imaginary or trifling inconvenience; that would take fire from men because it burns, and water because one may drown in it; that has no remedy for evils except destruction. The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. — Cesare Beccaria, as quoted by Thomas Jefferson’s Commonplace book

    Reply

Leave a Comment