The Stupidity Of Gun PC-ness

Four Marines are dead because of Gun “PC Stupidity”.

We had 4 of the few best in the nation, gunned down, because they were forbidden to have the tools of their trade at hand in a fit of PC Stupidity.

One “lone wolf”, who wasn’t that good with gear, was able to hit two places inside 15 minutes and kill 4 because he could have a gun and our Marines could not. A cop with a gun ended it with the perpetrator dead. One guy, one gun, end of event.

Dear Leaders

What you need to do, now:

1) Rule that ALL guards at all bases will be armed at all times. Bases to include ANY military establishment with staff permanently assigned.

2) Rule that for those places with permanent military personnel present (i.e. recruitment centers and the like) ALL military personnel are to have a “personal defense weapon” at hand. That can be a sidearm, or a rifle, depending on with what they have qualified. “At hand” does not mean in a locked vault or box. It means on their side, in a drawer, or on a rack where it can be grabbed at the first incoming shot.

3) ALL recruitment centers and any similar “store fronts” to have their “glass” refitted with bullet resistant materials. This doesn’t have to be 5 inch think green armor glass, just a nice lexan laminate will cut bullet velocity down to something that minimises damage. Spectra or similar materials to be layered on the non-glass portions of the wall around any glass.

4) ALL military families to have spousal training with sidearms. Any spouse who wants one to be issued a sidearm to be kept “at hand” in the home.

5) ALL military to have sidearm training. On qualification, they are to be issued a sidearm. That one, or a personal carry weapon of their choice, to be carried on their person wherever and whenever they choose when off duty and outside government facilities. In their car. In their home. On the street. Visiting their kid’s school. Shopping or at the movies. (Exceptions being when on duty when their commanders decide what is appropriate and when inside government facilities such as courtrooms and other government offices. I’m only putting this exception in because judges, lawyers, and government weenees are control freak paranoids who could not stand the idea of folks coming and going with sidearms… )

6) These “carry rules” to apply to all Police forces, Military Reserves, National Guard units, and Retired Military (upon sidearm qualification at a nearby military or police school or facility or from any military or police qualified trainer at their range of choice.)

7) Any ex-military with a violent crime history will be exempted from this program. (i.e. guys who’ve gone to the dark side are left unarmed).

What This Would Do

First off, military recruitment will go up. Many folks will join up, or join the Guard, just so that they can practice their right to “keep and bear arms” as promised by the 2nd amendment.

Second, crime of all sorts will plunge. How many nutcases will think they can go shoot a dozen people at a school when they know that some percentage of the teachers and staff are firearms qualified and armed? Of those few who do attack, how many will get past the front office door? How many folks will try to rob a liquor store knowing a large percentage of clerks will have a gun and use it? Of those, how many will live long enough to try it twice? An armed society is a polite society, and also a safe one…

Third, attacks on “soft targets” will plunge. There won’t be many “soft targets” left. Especially our military ought never to be a “soft target”, so harden the target. Anyone shooting at a recruitment center will find their bullets doing little damage (commonly available ammo is soft lead core, not the iron penetrators the military use, so even modest transparent armor will stop them or drastically reduce the damage done).

Fourth, military folks will have a strong incentive to stay on the “white hat side” once they exit the military, as they will be expected to be a “white hat” and know that if they choose a violent path, they will lose privileges. Over time this will build a very large body of “white hat” folks at all levels of society and in all walks of life.

Fifth, ex-military will be hired in larger numbers. As a store owner, I can hire a clerk who can run a cash register, or a clerk who can run a cash register AND assure the cash stays in it… I’ll take door #2 … As a police chief, I have a ready source of folks who are sidearm qualified already, and have military discipline. As a trucking company, I have a pool of drivers who are also able to keep themselves and the load safe from low grade bandits. All sorts of companies would be happy to have a ‘two fer’ on the hiring. (Those who don’t, and suffer from PC-paranoia, can remain “soft targets” and take the consequences… pretty quick it will be known that holding up a WalMart gets you shot, but a Macy’s is a ‘soft target’ with more cash… the ‘problem’ will self correct.)

Realize that this is not a radical suggestion. It is simply saying to be more like we were in the ’30s and ’40s. Watch some of the old B&W movies, folks were then able to practice their right to “keep and bear arms”. Military were often shown with their sidearms. Military returning from W.W.II often had various weapons in their luggage. Heck, even in the ’60s my family got a rifle, delivered by UPS to our home. (I saved ‘script’ from the cans of food served in our restaurant. Once enough was saved, they could be cashed in for stuff. One of the things in the catalog was a rifle. That became my first real hunting rifle.)

Things were safer then than they are now. As kids, my friends and I would go out “to the river” and shoot our .22 rifles at cans. (What is now called ‘junk shooting’). Yes, I have driven my car with a rifle and ammo in the passenger compartment and it was legal. First day of hunting season, at the end of classes, you could see a load of “kids” putting on hunting vests and checking the shotguns in the trunk of their car in the parking lot in front of the high school on school grounds as they headed out to join “Dad” at the pheasant hunt site. There were very very few shootings of any kind, and not many robberies either, in my old home town. It’s an existence proof that this is safer.

In Conclusion

Our military and police ought NEVER be a “soft target”. Never ever. Anywhere, anytime, anyone.

They are trained to fight and defend. Let them.

Various Muslim Jihadi Nutcases and their violent Islamist Groups have declared that they are going to attack our police and military at any time and in any place possible. The only rational response is to have those “targets” ready and able to return fire and end the attack when it comes, as it will and as it has.

In each recent case, the ‘event’ has ended when a trained sidearm packing officer brought counterfire to bear. A Texas Police in Garland took down 2 Jihadi Wannabees with his sidearm. A cop with a gun took down the attacker at the military sites. Catch a clue. One guy with a gun who has had range training can take down these nutjobs who have a lot of guns, but not much skill. Money to buy guns does not trump skill and practice. Had any one of those military at either of the two attack sites had a gun available, it is highly likely the outcome would have been “One dead perp and no other injuries.” or at most “One dead perp and one injured.” as the first shot might have had effect (though with the lexan in place, likely no injuries).

How good is lexan?

http://www.eplastics.com/bullet-resistant-sheet

Selected at random, but has a nice chart. Level 1 is a 9mm handgun round. That takes a 3/4 inch panel. At one inch “Level 3” it stops .44 Magnums. At that level, many rifle bullets will get through, but their energy will be dramatically reduced and the damage done vastly lower. But say you want to stop them, too? They list a “Level 5” that stops 7.62 rifle rounds (bigger than the .223 Remington used this week) and a “Level 6 MR” that stops multiple rounds at 1 inch thick (but likely a different construction).

So one inch of plastic, instead of glass glazing, is the difference between a ‘soft target’ recruitment center and a ‘hard target’ that needs to replace the windows. Add in an armed presence inside who can toss on their kevlar vests and helmets, grab their weapon, and return fire, the nutjob gets off about 5 or 6 shots and then his vehicle is taken out and he ends up on the very wrong end of a lot of firepower. I find that scenario much more satisfying than a “funeral for 4 and death benefits to the families”.

So Dear Congress: Grow a pair, and let those who already have, use the tools they are trained to use to do the job they have been selected to do. PC paranoia be damned.