“We know that most rapists choose a victim they know, so what the GOP is telling you is that your best option to prevent rape is to pull a gun on someone you’re familiar with and likely care about. Guns don’t come with a lot of options. You shoot, or you don’t shoot. Yes, theoretically, you can aim for more or less lethal parts of the body, but that brings us back to expertise—even with constant training, police officers in New York City only hit their target 43 percent of the time when the target is between zero and 6 feet away.” – Jaclyn Friedman in Yet Another Thing Guns Can’t Solve [via prospect.org]
I don’t get it. She’s cool with people being raped by people they know? I don’t know about anyone else, but if I know you and you decide to violently attack me we are no longer cool. Plus, im going to fill you with lead until you stop coming at me.
The victim mentality disallows adherents from seeking status other than victimhood.
She simply believes that she’d freeze until it was too late. She may be right. Even cops freeze, sometimes; hence the “no hesitation target” training.
She’s simply mistaken about the “all or nothing” concept, which results not from firearms and anatomy facts but rather from the law, which severely penalizes shooting an attacker with any fancy thoughts other that “stop the aggression.” The crotch shot (not the femur shot) is unlikely to kill in an urban hospitals-nearby environment, if accurately delivered at such close range. So send her some life-sized “no hesitation” crotch targets.
Just because I happen to know someone, doesn’t mean I’m not willing to shoot them if necessary.
“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet”
“I’d rather be raped than hurt a friend…”
Did I read that right?
Same thinking as “I’d rather die than use a gun to defend myself”.
This says much about her “friends.”
A victim they know and do NOT care about. I’m unsure what’s dumber here. The idea that a gun makes a friendly rape situation worse or that there is a friendly rape situation to consider at all.
I “know” good people and bad people. The bad people I wouldn’t hesitate to put down, regardless if I “know” them. I suspect most women, facing the prospect of rape, would do the same. It amazes me that some people like Jaclyn Friedman can be so stupid.
I’m sure she’ll care for her rapist…
Because a firearm isn’t the solution all of the time, it should be used none of the time? I love that logic.
Yeah, I’ve been hearing it a lot now. “But you can’t use a gun in _____ situation, so you can’t use a gun ever then.” Love that logic.
Hmmm…
What she says is likely true – for her.
However, other women’s mileage will vary. As for the VAW act, I’d personally like to see a few women take their firearms and visit a few GOP congresscritters.
After all, a gal’s not going to have a chance to go for even a body-carried gun in the event of a sucker punch – except in revenge.
I stopped a rape once – with a knife, rather than a gun; I don’t like rapists, and it was hard to not kill the POS. No conceivable measures would be excessive.
Dang! I’m always the last to know about these good posts!
If this “caring neighbor” takes his own advice of trusting in and turning to God, I suppose he has no locks on his door, or smoke alarms in his home, or seatblets in his car.
Because NYPD are Paragon’s of Accuracy
Yet I still have not heard of any proposals to disarm the NYPD…
Okay lady we get it – you have an unhealthy fear of weapons. Now I promise that I’ll let you live your life completely gun free and with total reliance on the police or other people for your safety. But you have to let me live my life then – whereas I have decided to make my safety my own responsibility.
We can both go our separate ways and in 40 years, if you’re still around, lets get back together and see how it all worked out for you.
The first they will do if they have an intruded in the middle of the night is call someone with a gun to protect them. 911, law enforcement and then pray the respond quickly. Humorous the lack of comprehension they have. I suggest they disregard 911 because they will be used for the security for them.
I clicked on the article There was a stupid ad below the pictures titled “One shot, one deer, no assault rifle.” It said it had 124/150k signatures needed on the petition. Another attempt to split hunters off and obfuscate the true reason for the 2A.
“Constant training”? Yet another person who knows nothing about how horribly inept the typical cop is.
I can see the T-shirt now, “If It’s a friend, Give In”
Some stats I’ve seen say that in roughly 90% of the cases, a perp flees or stands down once they know a victim is armed.
I don’t know about the few billion other males on the planet but knowing I’m the pull of a trigger away from the Big Sleep takes me right out of the mood.
Even if what she says is true of “most rapes” what is her proposal for the remainder of rapes that are not committed by your BFF? I guess we just pretend that they never happen?
It sounds like Mr. Thornton deserves the pardon. I am happy for him. I also think that this does smack of hypocrisy on the part of the POTUS. But what it really shows, is what we have been saying all along. All of the “get tough on gun crime” rhetoric, and any new laws, will do little, if anything to reduce real crime or violence. All it is intended to do is to make a certain class of people feel better about themselves. To let them sleep a little better at night, thinking that they “did something for the children” Bleh.
Can’t tell… if Aunt Pattie or Aunt Selma
Thanks for the laugh.
Yes! +1
Wait wait wait…you can only shoot a stranger that’s trying to rape you and not someone you know trying to rape you??
How about: “Don’t rape. Period. And if you’re stupid enough to rape someone, then I hope your victim has the wherewithal to SHOOT YOU IN THE HEAD.”
Maybe the second spike is caused by the bullet hitting the closed door at the end of the barrel in the top picture, which slows it down and causes all the gas behind it to slam into its backside?
Maybe he can figure out how to induce the second pressure spike at somewhere between 10-14″, and then YAY HOMEMADE SBR!
OK, that’s all I got. Neat article; that’s why I read this blog: the random neat stuff. Thanks, Nick.
So the best bet is to not buy a gun? Gosh I’m shocked, flabergasted & surprised even. I like the other one the grabbers use, “you are just as likely to shoot yourself”, as mentioned by (gun control explained, battlefield315) not if you know what end of the gun the bullet comes out of, Randy
If I read this right, first, NYPD needs more training. Second, this lady thinks that women should not have the right to defend themselves, that they are incapable. We conservatives believe women should have the right to defend themselves and they are more than capable of using a weapon responsibly. And here is proof. My wife took a firearm self defense course the other day and shot out the center of the target…3 inch group with a pistol. She shoots better than most men even under simulated stress.
It’s all cool sciencey stuff right up until I blast the front of my barrel off. I’m hoping that was happening with weird custom hand loads, not the sort of thing that will happen when using published reload data
More projection bias. She wouldn’t have to stones to shoot someone she knows, therefore no one would have the stones to do so.
A friend who would rape you is no friend. Period.
IMHO this whole thing is kind of a straw man. Of all the reasons I am against state disarmament of citizens, rape is not one of them, or is the least of them.
If guns never prevented any rapes, my view on gun ownership wouldn’t change. I think this statement is true of lots of us.
The title is “Yet Another Thing Guns Can’t Solve”. Yes, guns also can’t solve weight loss or split ends. Okay.
actually I get a lot of exercise going up and down range, especially on the 600 yard ranges.. weight control via firearms!
Ms. Friedman mentions that most rapists choose someone they know and suggests it would be difficult for the victim to use their firearm on a familiar person who the victim likely cares about.
A rape is a violent, brutal attack which at best creates devastating emotional wounds and at worst involves physical brutality, an unwanted pregnancy, and the transmission of HIV or other diseases. Those characteristics should remove any hesitation or compunction to fight back against the attacker.
The real problem is that so many people walk around oblivious to the fact that someone — especially someone they know — might harm them and their brain is at a loss when someone attacks. The result is that valuable time passes as they try to make sense of the attack and decide what to do. And then it is usually to late.
People need to face the music: violence happens. Once a person admits to themselves that violence happens, they need to respect themselves enough to commit to fighting back vigorously and immediately to any attack.
So in some respects, I would say that Ms. Friedman is on to something. However, the solution is not a vain attempt to remove guns from society. The real solution is to prepare people to respond to attacks without hesitation with the best defensive tools available.
As for Ms. Friedman’s concerns that certain police departments only hit their target 43% of the time when the attacker is between 0 and 6 feet, she overlooks the fact that the goal of a defensive gun use is to simply stop the attacker — it doesn’t matter if the victim hits the attacker. An exceedingly tiny fraction of rapists will continue their attack after the victim points a gun in their general direction and starts firing. That sounds like a really good solution to me.
We know that way more than 50% of rape allegations are outright false lies and do not even come close to a he said/she said case. The latest newest redefinition of rape by the CDC now includes finding a man guilty of rape if he has sex with a woman who is drunk. It does not now make a difference if the woman is less drunk than the man and the suggestion to have sex was her idea. Men (and boys) are now at fault in modern society by having the Y gene.
BTW, why are rape advocates and the sexual grievance industry so filled with such hideous looking women?
If somebody I know decides that they’re going to attempt to rape me, they’re no longer somebody I wish to know.
There is something about holding my Garand that just feels nice. I don’t own a M1A (yet), but the few I’ve picked up have given me a similar feeling. Stoner made a gun, Garand made a rifle.
IIRC, I read that, internationally, 1 in 5 women are raped. Not sure if it’s true, but its scary stuff. Upon discussing this with my wife she explained to my oldest daughter (13 years old) that if anyone she trusts tries to hurt her in that way,.. then they don’t care about her. Hopefully that will help get us over the emotional part of self defense.
As far as the ability part, my girl can keep 50 rounds (9mm)on a paper plate at 20 feet. According to the quote, that sounds better than the average NYC policeman.
Ms Friedman,… Your input isn’t needed here. Please discuss this issue with folks who can’t think for themselves.
I teach a lot of women. 50 rounds on paper at the range with no stress is one thing, getting on target when someone is out to hurt you is another thing and you have no idea how someone will react.
You cannot compare the two situations and you have to drill both.
Shooting at a static target is one thing, fighting back is another. Try some paint ball and/or F-on-F with airsoft with the heart pumping and see if you get the same result.
Good for you for teaching your daughter, just don’t stop at the range.
An anonymous note from a “caring” neighbor? I’m of two minds on this:
1) Give it all the attention it is worthy of; specifically, zero. If they’re not willing to tell me who they are, then their opinion matters zero to me.
2) Pamphlet my neighbors with something to the effect of, “Dear Caring (yet Anonymous) Neighbor: if you’re so concerned about guns, come with me to the range so we can help you with your fear. Signed, [my real name] [my real telephone number]”
Does this dimwit realize that not all gun owners are in the GOP? Not all democrats advocate being helpless victims?
As a victim of child abuse from a family member, I can say without a doubt if I had a gun then I would never hesitate. So FOAD b!t*h!
Of course being that I grew up in Connecticut, I probably would have been arrested. I think they have a duty to retreat.
It depends when you where last in CT. Although not a full Castle Law yet, being attacked in your home will not get you arrested if you fight back…in public, a different story.
It was quite a while ago, 20 years or so maybe. But always at home.
Damn, ignorant @&& people like this woman pi&& me off.
Or buy a FAL.
Is this woman some kind of moron? Obviously you are not carrying a gun because you plan to shoot your good friend. But shit, if my friend tried to rape me he’s not my damn friend anymore is he!?
Women go on dates with relative strangers and there is no reason for them not to be concerned for their safety. Just a couple months ago, my girlfriend told me an old friend of hers had been charged with sexual assault because he groped a woman he had gone on a date with on her doorstep. He groped this poor girl and tried to have his way with her, but he was too drunk and messed up to actually go through with rape. My girl was feeling really weird about it because she used to go on dates with him, they never did anything and she watched him become a creep over the internet after she moved away.
Women have always had to be careful and learning to use a firearm makes you very safe from sexual assault indeed. Rape is a crime of opportunity more than anything else and women should never forget that. Rape is not something conservatives and gun rights advocates expect women to put up with! Everyone has a right to defend themselves and only a pinko liberal will try to talk you out of doing so, with fantasies of all the terrible things that might possibly happen in some bizarro universe where you’re a total idiot.
Well, ladies, it is much more likely that you will have to shoot an assailant in a parking lot, dark alley or on your doorstep than when you’re chilling with your friends. That is, unless you chill with convicted sex offenders. These pinkos are well aware of their own irresponsible ways and assume everyone else must be like them. That’s not how it is and there are still plenty of Americans willing to take charge of their own lives and their own safety, as it should be!
Dumb question: what’s a “CRF” bolt gun?
cops train constantly?
haha. good one.
How is it you “care” about someone trying to rape you? Shoot the bastard. She may be lumping date rape, non-consensual sex and all that other icky stuff in with forcible rape. We’re talking about forcible rape.
As for NYPD’s lousy marksmanship, go check the 12 pound trigger pull on their pistols if you want to find the answer. (That info comes from my firearms trainer who was a former cop as well as numerous Internet sources.) Another unintended consequence of stupid politicians being afraid of semi-auto firearms. They put the heavy trigger on to avoid “unintentional” discharge and ended up with cops who can’t hit with accuracy and so just empty their guns in the general direction of the perp, which explains why 9 bystanders were hit by police gunfire in the Mpire State shootout last year.
Unfortunately, Jumpin’ Joe has about six years before he has to face votes again, so plenty of time to repair perceptions…
I’m not sure I could handle having to keep his position on this straight. Glad it’s not my job.
Just shows how ‘common’ly dastardly a “Common Councilman” can be.
Mr. Farago says “How are they going to teach Florida’s children to speak grammatically?”
Uhh, they are speaking grammatically. It is just that their dialect of English has a slightly different grammar than yours. Please read an introductory sociolinguistics text so you can understand how language develops and changes over time, and so you don’t jump to conclusions about the intelligence of others without good evidence. The fact that people speak differently than you does not make their dialect “wrong,” it doesn’t make them stupid, and it doesn’t make you smart.
seriously, if you have a DA/SA gun with external hammer, and you really want to, or have time to, think about getting off a first shot in SA, just pull the friggin hammer back.
Time for the church to lose their tax-free status once they begin with political issues
How can these hypocrites be demanding that government do something about weapons and violence? Aside from the point noted above about violence in the bible, and I recall a particular battle where Yaweh Himself supposedly slew 40,000 men by throwing rocks at them from the clouds (!), It seems to me the proper route of attack for these religious folks is to pray to God for protection and then trust to His mercy. I guess their faith is not as strong as they say.
I’ve really enjoyed reading this review and subsequent thread. Just so ya know, I’m not a gun enthusiast per se, i.e., I don’t hunt (although I don’t have anything against those who do and would if I had to), I’m not a collector, or target shooter. In fact, up until last month, I hadn’t gone target shooting for at least three years, and in the last 20 years, haven’t shot but perhaps 3 or 4 times (excluding the dispatch of several sickly ground hogs and ‘possums).
I inherited one of these 1908 Colt .380s from my father when he passed away a few years ago at the age of 87. I looked up the serial number and it was manufactured in 1912 and overall it is in excellent condition. He was an officer in the Air Force for 27 years.
My father began his flying career right out of high school building and flying bi-planes and pylon racers in the in the early 1930’s. In the mid-’30s, he flew for American Airways flying “tri-motors” carrying passengers and mail. Back then mail air carriers were, by law, required to be armed. As such, he acquired this nifty .380.
He joined the Army Air Corps in 1936. On December 7, 1941, he was a P-40 squadron leader stationed at Wheeler Field in Hawaii. He told me many stories about that infamous day and his subsequent service in the Pacific theater during WWII and Korea, not the least of which included his Colt .380.
He told me that although he was issued a model 1911 .45, he found it difficult to carry in the early months of war due to the cramped cockpit of his P-40s and similar pursuit/fighter planes of the day (he was 6’2″). So, he opted to carry the smaller.380. As the war progressed, he flew larger transports, bombers, and seaplanes (much larger accomodations, he said), in which he carried the .45 as primary and the .380 as backup.
He told me the argument about stopping power was very real even then. He said they had had reports of other US personnel during search and rescue missions encountering armed pacific island natives, who were in collaboration with the Japanese Army, and were on some type of natural drug and had tightly bound their bodies with vines. The result being it literally took the knock-down power of the .45 to stop them, that even M-1 carbines weren’t particularly effective. Again, I’m no expert.
He carried his Colt .380 all through WWII, Korea, and onto his retirement. As a child in the 60’s, I always knew he slept with it in under the mattress or in the drawer of the his nightstand. For all I know, he could’ve carried it to all my little league games, etc.
Last month, I took it out to a range and put 50 rounds through it. As I said, I’m not what you would call experienced, but I was able to put virtually all my rounds within 2 inches of center at 7 yards. It’s extremely easy to shoot with very little recoil. I did have several casings hang up upon ejection. But, I’ve tracked that down to a loose safety latch creeping up and engaging the slide during cycling. Having that fixed as I write this.
As a self-defense gun, I’ll let the pros argue that. For me, this .380 is a bit small for my large hands, but I can see it would be very concealable. Also, removal of an empty magazine is a bit awkward compared to the newer guns of today. The release latch is on the bottom of the handle, which causes you to turn your wrist and gun horizontally to disengage the catch/latch and then you have to pull the magazine from the handle, as opposed pressing a latch with your gun thumb and the magazine dropping out under spring pressure as with newer guns, such as a Glock, etc.
I am really glad my dad kept this piece of history and I will cherish it always.
“Just because I don’t have a gun now doesn’t mean I’ll never want one…
And I vote.”
Armed and Domesticated
Got Tyranny? 2A Can Help, Operators Are Standing By.
I still drive a car with a stick shift and my favorite self defense pistol is a Sig with DA/SA where the only safety is betweem my ears. Don’t count on me being an early adopter of this new technology. My mouse is even still tethered to my computer….
Protect the right, to protect your rights.
There’s two guys in the video that I feel like I should know, but I don’t know who they are. One is the guy with the salt & pepper beard wearing the zip-up fleece (he does the “Western Colonialism: 50M people” stat), and the other is the guy right after him in the striped dress shirt and black jacket (this guy’s voice sounds especially familar). Are either of them someone I should know?
I originally loved the Coonan 1911 .357 mag and waited 10 months to get one.
When i finally got it in my hot hand i was so disappointed that it was so sloppy between the slide and frame that it rattled when you shake it.
I rang the gun dealer and stated my opinion of the quality of a brand new pistol and the amount of play between the frame and slide. He said that his own Coonen was the same. I was not impressed at all as i have 3 x STI International 1911 pistols and ever one of then were nice and tight on the frame and are still light that after 4000 rounds. I read all the forum on the internet who gave great raves on this pistol and i quote the tight machining and tolarance on all of there pistols.
Well all i can say if this is the best COONAN can do they need to start looking at there tolarance and not just rush the production to get the product to customers.
It took 10 months to get one and i would have waited 12 months your more to have a nice tight pistol that will last me years. PS They recommend to put at lease 500 rounds through the pistol to losen it up so as to start functioning right.
Well i’ve put through 300 rounds and it even more sloppy than the day i got it and i don’t know how bad it will be after 2000 to 5000 rounds??????
I still like the style and the shape thats the reason i bought one but there quality machining on the slide to rail to frame is very poor and should be looked at as far as tighter tolarance. Bottom line on the pistol looks great but rattles and sloppy workmanship only in one area of the whole pistol which i have out line.
I hope this was to long for a lot of readers but i just was so disappointed with this pistol.
Kind Regards
Pete
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Gun
Interesting ideas there, but nothing I’d trust with my life…
This is a bad for Kimber. A move to Texas would be a great deal for them and all of us. Since I live in Houston, I’ll as them and others during the NRA Convention in May what they plan to do. Will probably get more “no comment”.
Personally I’ve found a big Glock pretty easy to conceal.
I’ve a G-20SF and use what may be the epitome of a love it or hate it holster – the GlockTech MIC.
I saw it, I was intrigued and it was inexpensive so I bought one because I live in Phoenix which means I (seriously) don’t even own a big coat – it’s a Dickies work shirt and shorts for me almost all year with a hoodie thrown in for the cold days. With the MIC I can tuck it in at 2:30 with the muzzle pointing back at enough angle that I can sit down or drive no problem.
The good,
– The adjustable paracord keeps it from sinking too low.
– The trigger is completely covered.
– Quick, smooth draw.
– It adds zero width which makes all the difference with a thick shooter.
– With reasonable belt tension it stays put.
The bad,
– With only the trigger guard covered the rivets on one pair of my jeans have made some superficial marks on the right-hand side of the slide. All my other pants are no problem and I personally don’t care. It’s an EDC, the finish will get worn. If you strictly wear jeans and carry by the rivets then beware. To me its all the more reason to get that wonderful NP3 finish I’ve been wanting.
– Definite two-handed re-holstering but it’s stupid quick to do so compared to any non-reinforced IWB I’ve ever used.
I like the following approach:
NRA lobbies … it is their core skill set.
SAF litigates … it is their core skill set.
And we need a third entity to market, communicate, and organize rallies.
It would make a ton of sense for the NRA to provide the lion’s share of the funding for this third organization since their marketing, communication, and rallies would often go hand-in-hand with lobbying efforts. Of course this third organization would need additional donations as well. Radio, television, Internet, and print ads cost money.
While I am often critical of political correctness, this third organization MUST be diverse. It should have men, women, youth, middle aged, seniors, liberal, independents, conservative, majority, minority, techies, non-techies, etc.
I am quite willing to start such an entity. Anyone want to join?