IF YOU HAVE ABOUT AN HOUR…

1. I just bought a bodycam last week. It’s a slightly-fat pen that actually writes, has 1080p resolution, and plugs into any USB port for charging or to download the video; no special software needed.

   tip: if you go with a recorder of this type, you’ll need to put a piece of plastic on the inside of your shirt pocket, or use a pocket protector, otherwise it’ll twist and point off to the side most of the time.

   I’m aware that people are easily influenced by being told what they’re about to see or are watching; video in the courtroom can be a two-edged sword. Hopefully if it ever gets to that point, I’ll have a lawyer who knows how to use it.

   • TRX,

     Drop me an email and let me know the name of the name of the bodycam pen.

     Thanks,
     john.lacher@gmail.com

2. I am interested in the camera’s. I recall seeing in incident recorded by an officer on his personal portable camera that sits on a hat. Much better view of what is happening than the body cams normally worn by officers since it moves with the head.

3. I found the sound to be too low, almost indistinguishable. I had to work hard at hearing it with both the youtube and my computer’s output volumes turned all the way up.

4. Gun cams would cut down on confabulation, yes? Maybe not?

5. Will your new book be available in Kindle format at Amazon any time soon?

   I found the digital download at Gun Digest, but would prefer to stick with Kindle / Amazon format.

   Thanks

6. Location of the body-cam is still a problem. Cap or glasses would be ideal for perspective, but either is easily knocked off and not always worn by all personnel. An advantage of Viridian’s concept is that the camera will have an unobstructed view of what’s in front of the gun in most shooting circumstances. The gun itself tends to block a chest-mounted camera.

   • If the camera can be knocked off, maybe it’s time to think about sending along a flying drone on police calls. Of course, eventually human police officers will be replaced by Robocops, so the cameras will them be part of Robocops “eyes.” Technology has all the answers, but can taxpayers afford to pay for lots of drones and Robocops? Sounds expensive.

7. That was an hour or so well spent.

8. With the computer I am using, both audio and video were excellent.

9. The Force Science Institute had several newsletters devoted to issues on the court room use of cameras. They’re very, very much worth finding and reading.

   Capsule version: the camera generally doesn’t focus on what the person wearing it is. Also, the person in the incident didn’t get to do a slow motion replay before deciding how to respond, the jury shouldn’t either.

   There’s much, much more.

10. Mas,

    The audio and video was great. Couple of questions though. 1) the set was obviously well illuminated, how well does this system work under low ambient lighting? 2) was the audio dubbed in through your headset or does the camera itself have audio capabilities?

11. Mas, on the one hand you talk about being able to defend things that makes the gun easier to shoot well, in order to be more responsible with shot placement, more regard for bystanders, etc. The deactivation of the magazine disconnect on a BHP certainly makes for a smoother trigger pull and makes the gun easier to shoot, yet you advise against that modification. Is that because it is a safety feature of the original design, and thus deactivating it shows some sort of disregard for the safety of others that overrides the desire to shoot well? Even if the weight of the trigger pull is the same before and after the safety’s deactivation? Guess I’m just trying to get a better handle on where the line can be drawn, although I fully realize that is probably a very subjective task and dependent on many things.

    • The magazine safety on the BHP can be modified to both work and not significantly affect the trigger pull. Requires modification of both the shape of the magazine contact shoe and the spring.

12. Dennis, I don’t have an answer to either question. I should have a test unit in a few weeks, though, and will report on that here in due course.

    David Neal, I don’t know at this time what other formats the book will be offered in.

    Tom in NC, what you’ll find is that deactivating a safety device on a lethal weapon is going to be considered irresponsible and reckless, which is practically “plaintiff’s counsel’s guaranteed employment act.” It’s going to be difficult to show that the lighter, smoother trigger would make a life or death difference if done at the price of deactivating a safety device the designer and manufacturer thought necessary.

    • Thanks, Mas – appreciate the clarification. I don’t plan on deactivating the magazine disconnect safety on my BHP’s, polishing and reshaping the shoe as well as the area on the mag where the shoe rubs helps a fair bit. (Appreciate the comment, WR Moore). Obviously things have changed since the days when many of the Texas Rangers fairly routinely tied down their 1911 grip safeties, eh?

    • Thanks – Amazon offered to send me your book for free if I signed up for a free month trial of Audible, so I took ’em up on it.

      Unfortunately, my tablet has spoiled me – did manage to scarf up a 10% discount code for the digital download from Gun Digest.com, so I also have the digital download.

      BTW – anybody know of any Audible books worth listening to?
      I have 2 free books in my trial, and the only thing I’ve come up with so far is one of John Lott’s books.

13. In reference to the previous topic, the story about the Las Vegas shooting is getting stranger and stranger. See this update:

    http://start.att.net/news/read/article/the_associated_press-murky_timeline_is_a_focus_of_las_vegas_shooting_pr-ap

    The timeline is being changed yet again. Also, this story contains two pieces of information that are strange when put together. The first piece is that the shooter “killed himself with a gunshot to the head”. The second piece is that “A visual inspection of Paddock’s brain during a coroner’s autopsy found ‘no abnormalities'”.

    Just how does a fatal gunshot to the head leave a brain with no abnormalities? Even if the brain tissue outside of the wound channel appears normal, how could one ever know that an area of abnormal tissue was not disrupted by the wound track?

    This case is descending into the “Twilight Zone”!

    “

14. Great interview Mas. I had no trouble with audio or sound, but my laptop is hooked up to external speakers. As per the comments in “modifying” the carry gun, from all my sources (you included), it is not a good idea. In listening to a podcast by a well known author and attorney, of which Mas has endorsed that attorney’s latest book, explains that a $20.00 trigger job could ultimately cost the Armed Citizen upwards to $500,000.00 in legal fee’s. When I mention this to fellow shooters who have tricked their gun to shoot better at IDPA matches, I am met with a slight disdain or a look as if I have no clue to the facts. I don’t suggest to be an expert to them, just a well researched law abiding citizen just offering up sage advice that was taught to me by those in the business of adjudicating lethal force trials.

    On another note, when I am instructing my Wear/Carry classes here in Maryland, or for those who are looking to protect home or businesses by use of a firearm, I strongly suggest to the students to purchase various books to have a better understanding of how the legal system works, etc. Many who are into this digital age, want to order the online Kindle version and so on. My response to that concept is if the student is in an incident, how does his attorney present that digital evidence as having ever been read? My point, if you have the hard copy, in print, you can highlight the critical areas that could be pertinent to the patchwork of ambiguous laws throughout the nation. The evidence will not be on some electronic tablet that could be wiped clean of your notated evidence by simply being dropped/broken/fluids or power surges. Documentable evidence of why you did what you did at the time you did it is critical when your freedom is in jeopardy.

    As for the gun camera, I am curious to see how well it can work in low light/no light situations or in the case of Zimmerman, when the muzzle is against or inches from the attacker, obscured by clothing, rapid movement such as recoil/body movement, in high stress situations. Proof will be in the testing and demonstrations offered in every conceivable way possible.

    Stay safe, Larry

15. Well done. One question occurs to me about calling LLEA. Does calling 911 on your cell connect you to the local authorities where ever you are? Sounds basic, but I’ve read different answers on this.

    • WR Moore,

      911 on cell phone? Yes and no. The location of the cell tower you hit determines which 911 operator the call goes to. Where my home is, I’m located less than two miles from the county line (border). The cell tower closest to my home is in the adjoining county. I’ve had several occasions where I’ve dialed 911 using my cell phone and invariably I’ve got that county’s 911 dispatcher. Evidently they recognize this problem and when you tell them your location, they immediately transfer your call to the appropriate jurisdiction. It’s incumbent on you to know the county or city closest to you or it will take them a little time to trace your call to your location. If you don’t know your location, tell them. They are trained (in most cases) to handle this.

    • WR Moore,

      One more tip. In a county such as mine, rural, low population, one 911 call center handles all calls. In our case, a small town police department that contracts with other towns, volunteer fire departments, county Sheriff, and ambulance services to handle these calls for service. This service has a so-called non-emergency number that’s answered by the same operator. I keep that number on my cell phone speed dial for emergencies at home when using my cell phone.

      • Appreciate that Dennis. I live right at the border of 3 counties. I’ve got two county’s admin numbers (24-7)on separate speed dials and the State Police on another. I guess I need to add a couple and remove the one (no longer work or own property there).

        My question largely was meant for when I’m in strange territory and your reply helps.

      • One 911 tip I learned long ago is to always start the conversation with the 911 operator with your location, even before saying why you’re calling. During excitement people forget to do this, or assume that the tracking will give it, but this way the operator has it up front. Even if you’re prevented from completing the call or have to drop the phone, the operator has enough information to send a unit. Start with the words, “I’m at (or “Over at” as appropriate) 1234 Oak Street, in Somewhere, Texas. Yadda, yadda, yadda.” The kind of emergency probably ought to come next (“I’m having a heart attack” or “Someone’s trying to break in”). Then follow with your name and additional relevant information.

    • Unfortunately, I’ve had to call 911 a few times over the last couple of years (predators after a relative).

      I’m less than a mile from the local PD / 911 center when I make the calls, but for some reason my calls end up in the 911 system the next city over (30 miles away).

      Can’t remember if it’s happened every time, but has done so enough times that the first thing I ask the 911 operator is “which city are you in”?

      If it’s the neighboring city, I tell them to connect me to the 911 operator in my home town.

      • One major metropolitan area of my acquaintance all 911 calls cell or landline went to a regional combined – across county and municipality lines – fire operations center; like many fire operations this was tied in with ambulance response. The thinking was that prioritizing speed of appropriate fire response was likely to matter most, medical response benefitted from seconds saved and for law enforcement response small time savings in switching mattered less. I’ve also lived relatively remote – no cell service and 4 person party line – where the standing joke was call the (volunteer) fire department – they will come, they will know where to come and they will make it. No reflection intended on response times from a hundred miles away.

16. Good question, Brother Moore, and I’m afraid I am not on top of that. I do know that in the past, emergency calls in the wee hours of the morning in some areas were routed to regional operators.

    Who here works dispatch or for a telephone company and can give a more detailed answer?

17. *ANY* time spent on Mas’ materials is always time well-spent. Just bought copies of a couple of his books (incl. Deadly Force, especially) for two neighbor kids going into the Military/LE. (As well as Grossman “On Combat” and “On Killing”.)

    Every State should require proof the applicant read “Deadly Force” before issuing a carry permit.

    Bottom line, using ANYTHING other than a bone stock firearm for personal defense is foolish. IMHO, your self defense gun MUST be just as it came out of the box. If you want a better trigger, BUY a better stock gun, period. For instance, the S&W Perf. Center Shield has an improved trigger over the Shield. If you read Mas’ books, it is CLEAR that you want to avoid ALL modification issues, period.

18. Mas, back in 1955, I was a young RADARMAN Stricker,havig caught my first ship, the USS Cimarron (AO-22), the Navy’s oldest Fleet Oiler, in Kaohsiung, Formosa, in December, 1954, and rode her home, from WestPac shortly afterwards, where she rotated on about a 90 to 120 days in Long Beach, CA, for repairs, or training in off the Coast Operating Areas, before going back to WESTPAC again.

    Your right us Swabbies didn’t get paid much, but with places like “Golden State Arms”, in Pasadena, CA where there were there were literally Barrels full of cheap guns, I bought quite a few great bargains.

    There was also the Good Old NRA, at least back then, where I stocked up on a Govt. .45 Pistol, an 1903A3 Springfield Rifle, and other goodies too!

    Paul

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