WHY GOOD PEOPLE NEED SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARMS AND “HIGH CAPACITY” MAGAZINES … Part I

Amen Mr Ayoob. You’re exactly right.

I’ve been thinking about it, and it seems to me that 30 round magazines are more useful for defense than offense–a person who is defending themselves in their home isn’t going to be carrying a lot of extra magazines and they won’t be choosing the time and place of an encounter.

When the Sandy Hook shooter attacked a room full of children, I have a feeling he could have done just as much with 5 round magazines, since he had 20 minutes to do it.

I absolutely agree. However, just don’t stock up on ammo for that AR at Cheaper Than Dirt. 1,000 rounds of 5.56 is currently listed at $999. Of course, you won’t be able to afford that ammo after you buy some of their used steel 30 round AR mags at $99 a pop.

At a time when the Second Amendment community needs to come together because the Constitution is under attack these guys are price gouging at a level that is beyond laughable.

Every responsible gun ower needs to call, write or email their elected Representatives and Senators and tell them NO to any form of gun control.

Always be polite, brief and stay on message.

Happy New Year

Thanks Mas. This gives me some good talking points.

Thanks, Mas. I’ve sadly heard way too much from seriously ill-informed people about these firearms lately.

If there was a way that ANY gun ban would actually work, I’d give up mine in a heartbeat, but there’s no way that’s gonna happen.

While I thankfully don’t live in her district, Sen. Feinstein has already penned the bill she plans to introduce next session. It includes a “grandfather” clause for those of us who already own “assault weapons” that she wishes to ban…but only if we register them and get fingerprinted.

Hold on tight; we’re in for a rough ride.

Superb. Especially noting the 2009 Pensacola, Florida, mass home invasion, which closed circuit cameras captured and which children were watching out the home windows as it unfolded. A tragedy that likely could have been stopped (when the truck full of miscreants broke through the distant perimeter fence) with a semi-automatic rifle and one or two 30 round magazines. Anyone not a believer before that should have changed their opinion in 2009.

Thanks! I tend to try and explain too much. A good answer is the experts use it, it only makes good sense for me to do the same.

Thank you.

Amen.

Outstanding. Mr Ayoob, get on TV now and stay on through this fight!

MAS, how about testifying on our behalf before Congress ? With your credible background, you could make a difference ??

Mas, yet another fabulous blog. Lance Thomas is my hero.

Civilians have a greater need for high capacity magazines than the military or police have. The military and police usually go into combat in groups. They can cover each other when it is time to reload. Civilians are usually alone when attacked, and, as you say, they can often be outnumbered. Why do the military and police need high capacity magazines? They don’t, but we trust them, and want them to be safe.

Readers: You must understand that informed liberals do not believe their own arguments. They are trying to bring about their dream of a socialist utopia. When informed liberals propose gun control laws, they know their ideas won’t work, but they are trying to take baby steps to move us to a time when only the benevolent government will have the power that comes with firearms. President Obama knows his economic ideas won’t fix the economy. He doesn’t want to heal the economy, he wants to kill it, then re-make it. No matter that Karl Marx’s ideas didn’t work in Russia, China, East Germany, Cuba, North Korea or Viet Nam. Well-meaning liberals (that is, Communists) can still bring about Karl’s dream of a socialist utopia in the USA, and then the world, if we unenlightened hicks would just follow them into the promised land. They also believe competitive capitalism turns good people into nasty people. Evil in the world comes from evil in flawed human hearts, it is not produced by an economic system. Liberals believe mankind is perfectable through education. The Founding Fathers, mostly professing Christians, believed mankind is fatally flawed, so they knew it was best to limit the power of government, and use families, churches and schools to promote virtue. Guess which system works best? The Founding Fathers believed that an earthly utopia is impossible, and history proves them right.

Edge,

It’s called capitalism. They have a limited supply of product with a skyrocketing demand. Raising the price helps to reduce hoarding and encourages additional supply to come into the market.

Senator (MO)

December 29, 2012

Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as gun control policy and gun safety. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

On Friday, December 14, 2012, a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and began shooting teachers and students before taking his own life. This horrific tragedy took the lives of 27 people, including 20 children seven years of age and younger. As a mother, I’m horrified and stunned by the senseless violence against innocent children and teachers.

This tragedy has led to renewed and important discussions about gun control, which is often a divisive topic in our nation. The loss of so many beautiful children in a mass shooting that involved an assault rifle with ammunition clips that held large numbers of bullets makes clear that we need to revisit the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 and review permissible magazine ammunition sizes. I am also supportive of closing the gun show loophole and making sure that those with court-determined, dangerous mental health diagnoses do not get access to guns. Finally, it is equally clear that we must reconsider the mental health services available to our citizens, knowing that each mass shooting our nation has experienced involved individuals with substantial mental health problems. “Obamacare” will expand important mental health coverage when it is implemented in 2014. Protecting our children and our citizens will require us to come together to find real solutions that cover a broad range of factors that have contributed to these horrific incidents.

I firmly believe that an attempt to promote appropriate gun safety measures can be done without infringing upon law-abiding citizens’ right to own firearms or unduly burdening the hunting and sportsmanship culture of Missouri. Weapons designed primarily for the use of soldiers to kill people in war are not used in hunting and can be reasonably limited without jeopardizing any rights under the Second Amendment. I believe the horror of the Newtown shootings makes clear that we must get to work protecting our communities and our children from mass slaughter, while also protecting our Second Amendment rights. I am hopeful that the National Rifle Association, a significant voice in this discussion, will be a constructive part of this dialogue.

Even as I welcome this renewed debate, please know that I will continue to protect the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding citizens to safely own and use appropriate firearms. In the past, I have voted to permit residents of the District of Columbia to own and purchase firearms. I also supported an amendment to a spending bill that would prevent funding for any international organization, including the United Nations, that places a tax on any firearm owned by a United States citizen. I have opposed other inappropriate measures, such as forcing Missouri to accept other states’ firearms laws.

As your United States Senator, I will keep your thoughts in mind anytime Congress considers gun-related legislation. In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, my prayers are with the students and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary, and with their families. All Americans are outraged at senseless and criminal gun violence no matter where they may fall in the debate on guns in American society. A renewed national conversation has begun and we must all be a constructive and open-minded part of it. There is middle ground here, where this nation can come together with sensible laws that prevent the mass murder of innocent citizens, while we continue to respect our Constitution and its Second Amendment rights.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance to you on this or any other issue.

Sincerely,

Claire McCaskill
United States Senator

Since you seem to want to deal in real world situations, at what point in your life have you been confronted by multiple attackers? Were you part of the LA riots? Should we base our laws on the 1/100k rule, or be more reasonable? Whatevs. The world goes on while you sit in your basements with your cold steel and empty lives.

Edge, you are right on the mark as far as an industry that is taking advantage of the political climate. The ammo and gun industry are loving everytime there is a gun control hysteria. Yes, I understand the law of supply and demand, but these are buisness men. If anybody thinks profit is going to play second fiddle to their rights then they are mistaken. There is a gun and ammo industry out there to make money. I doubt these people are sitting around saying we have to stay in buisness for the sake of the American people, even if it means breaking even or possibly taking some losses. If you or I stopped buying their product, just watch how fast prices will eventually drop even if the supply was there. Nonetheless, supply and demand does push the pricing in markets. However, it is just like the gasoline market. Big oil companies keep the refining capacity low so the supply will always be below the demand enough to justify their price gouging. We were used to $2.00 a gallon gas 12 years ago, now $3.00 a gallon is considered cheap. Gun and ammo prices will drop once the hysteria passes and supply and demand equalizes, but they will always be much higher than they should be. We are a public controlled by the ploy of our corporate puppet masters. The point is the fear of a ban is greater than its execution. Four years ago we were told our guns are going to be taken and nothing changed, but the size of gun and ammo manufacturers coffers. This time around nothing may effectively happen, or something could happen. You see, this uncertainty keeps the money flowing. If a ban were to take place, it would only drive up the prices yet again for civilians and allow the government to be the only buyer of newly manufactured weapons. Either way you cut it, we are manipulated for profit or for control. I do not have to take your gun rights away legislatively, I can also do it economically. Look at pre 1986 automatic weapons. Nobody said you cannot own one, you may just have to pay 10 or 50 thousand dollars for it. The rich will always have more allotted them. Like the vice president of the NRA recently stated, (paraphrased)” for the most part only the wealthy and famous are allowed gun permits in New York city”.

Mas,

Awesome, logical, straight-to-the-point summary with plenty of matter-of-fact details.

No one can ignore the many valid parallels between LEO choices for duty/self-defense (firearms or otherwise) and their influence on what regular citizens choose. Can’t argue with reality.

Glad to see yet another bank of logical reasoning we can use to defeat the anti-gunners!

I will not put them in the box,
I will not fit them out with locks.
You may not take mine oh no no,
I will not ever let them go.
You cannot have them Missus Feinstein
So stick your bill where the sun don’t shine.

With love, gun owners everywhere…………

Since this is the biggest semi-valid topic going around today (The AWB is patently ridiculous, except for people who don’t actually care about crime or saving lives), I appreciate reading your input.

Amen Edge. Has the NRA addressed this issue? I know demand is up but clearly this industry has the bandwidth to fill demand. Gouging because you can is something I’d appreciate the NRA stop as well

if it were possible to completely get rid of all guns what would the sick killers do? they would switch to something worse. like bombs, chemicals, gas, all much more cruel and horrific. the second amendment was intended to give the citizens the right to the same arms as the government. Too bad we will never get our full auto rights back.

“The cops are the experts on the current criminal trends. If they have determined that a “high capacity” semiautomatic pistol and a .223 semiautomatic rifle with 30-round magazines are the best firearms for them to use to protect people like me and my family, they are obviously the best things for us to use to protect ourselves and our families .”

Because… the police can’t be everywhere at once
Because… not everyone lives close to town
Because… criminals don’t make an appointment

Thanks, Mas.

Don’t forget the police are not obligated to protect you,that has been decided in court decisions

A semi auto 12 gauge with 000 buck shot is safer to use isn’t it? Throwing 30 rounds of, say, 30.06 downrange would likely go right through most homes walls.

Agreed Mas.

Great article, Mas.
Where you say, “…Americans have historically modeled their choices of home protection and personal defense handguns on what the cops carried…”, I have a slightly different view.
–
‘Americans’ (should I read that word you chose as ‘civilians’?) have not ‘modeled’ their choices after what ‘the cops’ have done.
The two groups have simply both responded in the same way to changes in available technology, reliability, calibers, and societal changes.
One group has not ‘modeled’ the other group…both groups want the best available tools for the job and have responded in the same way.
–
In the case of Sandy Hook, unarmed and defenseless women and children hid in closets waiting for ‘help’ to arrive while hoping the shooter would find someone else before he found them.
When help did arrive, they came equipped with those same “assault weapons” and “high capacity magazines” that the liberal bed-wetting gun-banners believe have no purpose in society.
–
(Why do schools have fire extinguishers, can’t they just wait for the fire department to get there?)

Thanks Mas, you put the truth into words that even the Anti-Gun Crowd will have a hard time refuting.

Though we don’t think of Revolutionary era weapons as being “State of the Art”, now a days, they were used by both the British Army, our Army, and all of the Civilian Militiamen forces alike, and therefore the Second Amendment clearly protects today’s Citizens Right to Keep and Bear today’s equivalent of those Revolutionary “State of the Art” weaponry..

Personally, in addition to what the Police use, I tend to rely on those weapons that I trained with, and carried, while serving in the Military as well.

Your Blog should be required reading for all Politicians, and in all Schools, starting as early as the Children are old enough to understand the situations involved.

Thanks again, Mas. I just finished your book ‘Combat Shooting’ and am thankful for making decades worth of research fit into a handy little book. As one who makes a living selling guns, there was stuff about the aftermath of a shooting that I would never have thought about. And you are spot on as far as “keeping up w/ the cops.” My store has been sold out of .223 & .308 ammo, AR-15 variants; every Beretta, Springfield, Glock, Ruger, and Taurus on hand (all semi-autos out of stock except Kimber), and strangely every last box of .22LR. These are strange times… always pays to be prepared BEFORE the panic hits. Si vis pacem para bellum. Shalom!

I dunno.

Guns are not defensive. To refer to them as “defensive firearms” as Mr Ayoob does is moronic.

Shields are defensive. Body armor is defensive. Weapons are for offense. They’re called “Assault Rifles” for a reason.

As far as that article is concerned it is an exercise of straw men. How many one-off situations can be crammed into a single article? Are these everyday occurrences? No. He props up straw man after straw man that are blown over with the lightest breeze. The only one I can agree with is the watch owner fella. He was truly defending himself against bad guys. Too bad he whines like a bitch about having to go out of business – I guess his customers didn’t feel too secure with all that firepower lying about. Maybe selling Rolex watches in a high crime are isn’t a good idea.

I especially love that he brought up the Billings murders in FL. This fella wants to put an AR-15 into a house full of children with special needs. Genius. Especially after Newtown. And anyone who contends that a well-planned out surprise assault can be prevented is lying to themselves. Pearl Harbor is a great example – it wasn’t a citizen but a naval fleet destroyed by a surprise attack. Bitch of it is they had a little advance warning. If the US Navy can’t do it what makes anyone think that a private citizen can?

And I sympathize with the ranchers, but they keep voting Republican in the desert SW. I can’t imagine why – their only mantra is “smaller government, lower taxes”. How do we effectively secure the borders like that? Shit costs money, and security is really expensive. I guess the Republican answer is “rugged individualism” aka “go fuck yourself,” which is really sad, but not unexpected. They profit from the drug war suckling at the teat of the judicial-incarceration complex – the more people in jail the better. So what motivation do they have in closing the border and stopping the flow of drugs into the US? Nothing while it lines their pockets with taxpayer $$$. But let’s take a reality check here – how many AR-15’s would it take to match the firepower of a single cartel death squad? Since they have automatic weapons and aren’t too afraid to use them I’d argue this is a moot point. A rancher or group of ranch hands don’t stand a chance against a group armed with high-power automatic weapons (exported from the US to Mexico via Federal Firearms License holders on the black market FTW!), especially in a highly un-defensible position like a house made of wood or cinderblock which bullets cut through like swiss cheese.

And I love that “Jew without a gun’ story. More Hollywood than reality (go figure). I wonder – he never goes on to explain what happened to the other people in that theater…maybe the story would be more illustrative/poignant if he did. OR. It would have made him out to be a reactionary nutjob who jerks off his ego at every turn in his fantasy, sorry, I mean factual recounting of events from his perspective on reality. My real question is this: What if the rioters had AR-15’s? What a happy day that could have been for the NRA! Heston could have taken the podium with pride at seeing the exercising of so many second amendment remedies in response to the gross exercise of government power – remember Rodney King? Damn that video tape…cops were only beating the shit out of him for his own good! He was drunk and speeding though. So I guess drunk + speeding + (being beaten to within an inch of your life) = happy outcome. And the justice system agreed with the police. Maybe the rioters should have taken up some second amendment remedies and got some real justice – the constitution and justice system sure didn’t have their back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=xZDrZDEqeKk

I wonder how many rights that the second amendment has abridged? How is it that the second amendment is more important than the first? Or the third? Or the fourth? Or the twenty-second? One amendment does not a constitution make. They work together to provide a framework for the interaction between citizens and the government. Guns themselves are not the answer. Are they part of the answer? Sure. But to say that the only thing standing between the citizenry and a tyrannical government are gun owners is infantile.

When he talks about “There have been bands of roving, violent predators as lately as this year during the Sandy storm.” I knew he couldn’t find his ass with both hands and should probably step away from the keyboard before he hurts himself – he can’t even get his facts right. I live at the Jersey shore (you know, where Sandy blew through) – no packs of violent predators here. I guess he couldn’t see that too clearly from 4000 miles away in OR. Maybe you can shove that fact back up your ass where you found it. And the profound ignorance of capitalism in the second to last paragraph is absolutely stunning. His last paragraph clinches it for me that he is completely out of touch – basing a private citizens’ needs on the needs of police officers who deal with the scum of the worst inner cities in the US for 8-12 hours a day is absurd – unless you are a law-enforcement officer. Last I checked, the vast majority of Americans don’t live in crime-ridden inner cities.

I think that what the right has done is to scare gun owners into the idea that sensible regulation is the same as a ban. All of the law put in place over the past 40 years were ineffective because there were loopholes that a child could drive a truck through.

Gun ownership is a right under the Constitution. But it is also a responsibility, one that far too many gun owners take too lightly. Not only are gun owners protecting themselves and their families with these weapons, but they also have the duty to ensure that their fellow citizens are not harmed/killed by those weapons – too many beat their chests about owning a gun but absolve themselves of their duty to their fellow citizens.

I know this probably isn’t going to be well received. But that’s too bad. It’s the truth.

Obama wants gun violence measures passed in 2013
By By JIM KUHNHENN | Associated Press – 58 mins ago.. .

WASHINGTON (AP) — Recalling the shooting rampage that killed 20 first graders as the worst day of his presidency, President Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to put his “full weight” behind legislation aimed at preventing gun violence.

Obama voiced skepticism about the National Rifle Association’s proposal to put armed guards in schools following the Dec. 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The president made his comments in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Instead, the president vowed to rally the American people around an agenda to limit gun violence, adding that he still supports increased background checks and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity bullet magazines. He left no doubt it will be one of his top priorities next year.

“It is not enough for us to say, ‘This is too hard so we’re not going to try,'” Obama said.

“I think there are a vast majority of responsible gun owners out there who recognize that we can’t have a situation in which somebody with severe psychological problems is able to get the kind of high capacity weapons that this individual in Newtown obtained and gun down our kids,” he added. “And, yes, it’s going to be hard.”

The president added that he’s ready to meet with Republicans and Democrats, anyone with a stake in the issue.

The schoolhouse shootings, coming as families prepared for the holidays, have elevated the issue of gun violence to the forefront of public attention. Six adult staff members were also killed at the elementary school. Shooter Adam Lanza committed suicide, apparently as police closed in. Earlier, he had killed his mother at the home they shared.

The tragedy immediately prompted calls for greater gun controls. But the NRA is strongly resisting those efforts, arguing instead that schools should have armed guards for protection. Some gun enthusiasts have rushed to buy semiautomatic rifles of the type used by Lanza, fearing sales may soon be restricted.

Obama seemed unimpressed by the NRA proposal. “I am skeptical that the only answer is putting more guns in schools,” he said. “And I think the vast majority of the American people are skeptical that that somehow is going to solve our problem.”

The president said he intends to press the issue with the public.

“The question then becomes whether we are actually shook up enough by what happened here that it does not just become another one of these routine episodes where it gets a lot of attention for a couple of weeks and then it drifts away,” Obama said. “It certainly won’t feel like that to me. This is something that – you know, that was the worst day of my presidency. And it’s not something that I want to see repeated.”

Separately, a member of the president’s cabinet said Sunday that rural America may be ready to join a national conversation about gun control. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the debate has to start with respect for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and recognition that hunting is a way of life for millions of Americans.

But Vilsack said Newtown has changed the way people see the issue. “I really believe that this is a different circumstance and a different situation,” Vilsack said on CNN.

Vilsack said he thinks it’s possible for Americans to come together. “It’s potentially a unifying conversation,” he said. “The problem is that these conversations are always couched in the terms of dividing us. This could be a unifying conversation, and Lord knows we need to be unified.”

Besides passing gun violence legislation, Obama also listed deficit reduction and immigration as top priorities for 2013. A big deficit reduction deal with Republicans proved elusive this month, and Obama is now hoping Senate Democratic and Republican leaders salvage a scaled-back plan that avoids tax increases for virtually all Americans.

In addition, he issued a defense of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who has been mentioned as one of the leading candidates to replace Leon Panetta as defense secretary.

Hagel, who opposed President George W. Bush’s decision to go to war with Iraq, has been criticized in conservative circles for not being a strong enough ally of Israel. Also, many liberals and gay activists have banded against him for comments he made in 1998 about an openly gay nominee for an ambassadorship

Obama, who briefly served with Hagel in the Senate, stressed that he had yet to make a decision but called Hagel a “patriot.”

Hagel “served this country with valor in Vietnam,” the president said. “And (he) is somebody who’s currently serving on my intelligence advisory board and doing an outstanding job.”

Obama noted that Hagel had apologized for his 14-year-old remark on gays

I’m still waiting for the “left” to come up with an exact definition of an assault weapon! I have an old 1943 Russian Mosin Nagant rifle that only holds 5 rounds but, it could literally be considered an “Assault Rifle”! They keep talking about firearms with a military type part or action, this is a WWII military rifle that was used to “assault the enemy”, could it be banned because of this? Now I hear that Senator Diane Feinstein’s proposed gun ban includes a ban on semi-automatic handguns and shotguns in addition to rifles! Where will it stop??

Years ago, I had someone break into my home, while my girlfriend,her 3 kids, and I slept. I dropped the bolt onto my AR-15 and a 30 round magazine. I put 1 round into the floor of my living room and ordered the man to lay on the floor, informing him I have 29 more. 8 minutes later the police arrived, arresting him. A 9mm and a 38 was found in his possession. I honestly believe that a “less scary” gun would have let him feel more empowered and the end results would have been much different.

Think about the ability to protect ourselves against tyranny. Should we eventually have to attempt to overthrow the government for some reason you can bet the military of the U.N. will be used to fight us. If the government has their way and disarms us of our semi automatic weapons as they want to do, What will we be left with?

Oh that’s right we will still have our single shot bolt action rifles to use against an army that has fully automatic weapons…

Can you see the balance there???

Imagine how many people in an situation against tyranny would be cut down before they could even reload a second round if it happened…

That is why we must not allow the current government crazies to take away our “assault rifles” and equipment.

Old Fezzywig-
Just a heads up: We in the military (I.E. the Infantry) NEED 30 round mags. When you’re in an ambush, the squad/element needs to return as much VOLUME of fire as possible. It’s all about volume. Keep their heads down while you and your buddies get out of the kill zone 🙂

Mr. Ayoob, once again you have made a point so simple to understand that even those who would take the rights of the people away cannot argue against these simple facts. Thank you for your outstanding writing.

Patrick, I certainly hope you are as disgusted by your senator’s response as I am. It’s not her place, nor anyone other than the user, to determine what an “appropriate firearm” is.

@gil while the author may not have been on a rooftop defending his business from looters during the riots, there were business owners doing that very thing. most people who have faced armed multiple armed attackers and are still here to talk to you about it are still here because they were able to bring lethal force to bear on a lethal threat.

and since you brought up the 1/100k rule, isn’t that EXACTLY what an assault weapons ban is? there are an estimated 300million civilian owned firearms in the united states. according the to FBI crime statistics report, in 2011 there were 8,583 murders committed with a firearm. of these, 323 were committed with a rifle. basic math and rounding tells us that’s a 1/1,000,000 rule… about 10 times less frequent than your 1/100k rule.

Great article. I am concerned that the “gun grabbers” will read this and think that perhapss they should disarm police and the citizens will follow. Go ahead and laugh but they can and will twist everything.

with climate change, floods/hurricanes/tornadoes will be a more common occurence, which means looting and gangs of looters will be a more common occurence, which means “hicap” mags and semiauto weapons will be more and more valuable tools for safweguarding life and limb in the future, which means the anti gunners are out of their minds if they think they can push through another AWB.

here is the main reason that all weapons and by products are needed for all. So that you all can have you say in anything like you just did on this blog/chat. You are free, to say what you want. once they start taking away our birth rights then you will no longer be able to say way you want. You have a choice right now because of firearms. You can by that green car will yellow spots if you want. You can own property if you like, which means you can live where you want to and not be told by the government that you will live here, work doing this for 10 bucks a month, and have black scooter like everyone else to get around on, showing off you all black cloths. Please disagree with me while you still can. shortly we will not have blogs/chats, No FB, or phones to call others, no free internet to do as we please. it will be limited. Please take away our guns Obama and his fans, we will no longer be free. I will die before I give up my freedom, my rights and most of all my weapons.

I’ve been surfing the net looking for the answer why we need semi auto weapons and high capacity magazines,so I could explain it to others who don’t have a clue what it takes to be involved in a shoot out and what goes through the persons mind when the incident doe’s happen.(eventually it will happen).I found your web site by going through other web sites and arrived to yours.I’ve read many of your articles through several gun magazines and hold your advice in high regards.I’ve been in a couple of shoot outs myself while being employed as a security guard and once while working as a gas station attendant,(I was allowed to Cary a gun on the property due to robberies)That was the scariest one of all because I was alone,in a bad neighborhood and was responsible for training a new employee(and his safety).I was so worried that I carried a Colt Trooper .357mag. in a upside down cross draw,a .380 horizontal on the other side,and a.25 auto behind my wallet.Well it happened!we were robbed,he came up behind me with a .32 revolver in my back!Demanded the money from the cash drawer and had us covered the whole time,my mind was going 100mph!I did not have the time or want to draw my gun while being covered at such at close range,so I slowed my thoughts down and tried to look as non threatening as possible,I got the money around and calmly gave it to him without making eye contact,I was watching the gun and his finger on the trigger!He then announced that if we called the Police he would come back and “Kill us!”I was real mad at that remark!He turned and started out the door,I told the new hire to hit the panic button drew my .357 and went after him and yelled out halt!!He spun around and started shooting all in one movement!I checked his background lined up my sights and returned fire!Carefully trying to hit center mass and keep the sights lined up and not shake so much,I fired twice,and on my third shot he grabbed his right side stumbled a little fired again at me and ran between some houses,it was night time and he had street lights on behind him so I had a good sight picture,none the less I was scared as hell!I lost count of how many times I fired so I dumbed the cylinder,reloaded with a speed loader and stood out in the middle of the drive and kept a vigil on the area incase he decided to return!The Police showed up,got out of the car and demanded me to drop my weapon!Great! I thought,now the cops are going to shoot me!Well I placed my gun on the ground slowly and slowly raised my hands up in the air and announced I was the one who was robbed and was in a shoot out with the suspect.He came over took my gun and asked for my gun permit!I showed it to him,he gave it back,then handed me my gun back,asked me how many times I fired?I looked down where I reloaded,saw four empties and two live rounds,told him four shots fired! I think I hit him ’cause he grabbed his side and stumbled a few steps and took off between some houses!He gave me an extra flashlight he had and ask me to go with him,i was scared but complied we searched the area but found nothing,I thought it was funny how no back up arrived!Well he took a statement,left,and I called the manager/owner,I shut down the station,figured out how much we lost($78.00).And when he showed up told him what happened and promptly quit!I was not going to die for a mere $7.50 an hour!Anyways it was your advice on how to act in a gunfight and all the articles I’ve read from you about self defense,is why I’m here today and ready for the next time it ever happens!That was back in 1978 now its 2012,I’ve served in the Army and as a Federal police Officer and survived five shootings,with as many gunshot wounds,nonetheless I’m still alive!Incidents like this are why we want and need semi auto and high capacity mags,Thanks Mas!Now I wish you could go on T.V and tell the rest of the non believers and uninformed the rest of the story why we want and need assault rifles & high capacity mags,and refer them to articles and videos like Lance’s and the the one about the fatal home invasion!Thanks again!And keep up the good work you have been doing.

Sandy Hook Spree Killer Fired AR-15 79 Times Before Stovepipe
Posted on December 30, 2012 by Robert Farago
TTAG has learned that spree killer Adam Lanza fired his mother’s Bushmaster AR-15 79 times inside the Sandy Hook Elementary school before experiencing a stovepipe. (An empty, fired cartridge failed to eject from the rifle and became stuck in the action, preventing another cartridge from firing.) Lanza did not clear the weapon. Investigators found the non-functional AR-15 at least five feet away from the killer’s body; he may have thrown the rifle after the malfunction before switching to a handgun. A source close to the investigation says Lanza killed himself within seconds of making eye contact with one of the first responders.

Gil-
“Since you seem to want to deal in real world situations, at what point in your life have you been confronted by multiple attackers? Were you part of the LA riots? Should we base our laws on the 1/100k rule”

I agree. So let’s take a look at how often “assault” weapons are used for murder. For the last year available, out of roughly 9000 gun murders, all long guns, of which “assault” weapons are a sub-group, were used in about 300 of them.

So even if we grant that banning a misused tool is the best way to deal with that misuse, going after a class of weapons that is used for murder less than bare hands and feet isn’t the way to do it.

Old Fezzywig-
I can’t speak for all liberals, but my social circle is largely liberal, and speaking as a gun-owning, concealed carrying variety of liberal I can tell you one thing: I don’t know one that hates guns because they want to establish a socialist utopia. They favor gun control because they are ignorant. And ignorance is often accompanied by fear. When we are ignorant and fearful, we often act emotionally.

Excellent commentary Mas,

The issue and problem lies in getting the anti’s to see it. Even the ones that are either surrounded by armed security and those who are privileged enough to garner the right to carry above the masses.

@guntotin-mama
first mama police do not carry guns to protect you/your family/us ….they carry and have guns to protect themselves. and as far as the expertise is concerned i have personally seen on dozens of occasions police abusing there authority in ways that would shock you to the core,and ..because…. when seconds count the police are only minutes away,because you/your family or us cannot realistically have a cop in our back pocket 24/7/365. and as far as the “LAWS” go please explain to me…. like i’m a six yr old how criminals abide by current/future laws?i do agree that all americans should have the exact same types of weapons the military is afforded. to ensure our politicians do not take a tyrannical stance against the very citizens that elect them( as we are currently engaged with…IE feinestein/schumer/biden/obama/clinton/reid). as spoken to in the declaration of independence. facts are facts…. the assault weapons ban did NOT effect the crime in the usa from 1994-2004 when it was removed. we have seen serious crime reductions in state such as vermont/arizona/alaska and even in kennesaw, georgia 1982-today requiring gun ownership. in this whole time only four murders occured 3 of which happened in gun free zones. it only shows that presence of a firearm prevents crime. and in my humble opinion the entire faculty of every school in the nation should be required to carry concealed and trained, this will send a extremely strong message to would be gunmen this is not going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. the teachers are already there, they simply have to be armed and trained and the gun free zones have to go. thank you Mas and i hope you will speak on behalf of gun owners coast to coast. i can think of few others with your respect,skill, and knowledge that could do better. to you and all happy new year.

I hope Mas has our beloved senators (ESPECIALLY CA’s) on his email/blog list. Don’t think they will read it of course…. All very positive comments as usual and lots of valid talking points.

Thank you for giving me the defensible reasons to use when arguing with my scared gun grabbing friends! I know we need these things, I’ve just never been very good at verbalising WHY. You’ve given me some great ammo for my next battle of wits!

Mr. Ayoob has quantified the position I’ve held for years, though with certain modifications.

When I started with my department, we were armed with .357 revolvers, Ruger Mini-14’s and pump shotguns. In the course of tiime, I purchased several revolvers, several rifles, and several shotguns in order to maintain my personal proficiency, and so that I never faced the situation where I didn’t know how to safely unload the weapons I was coming into contact with.

When we turned in the revolvers for Smith and Wesson M&P pistols and -15’s, I updated my collection, again in order to maintain my own skills.

Now that I’m retired and live in a rural area, I feel I need them more than ever – I can’t call for backup and expect it to arrive in a reasonable time, the sheriff’s department is spread too thin as it is.

Who are these politicans in Washington and the various state houses? They live in virtual fortresses, with 24-hour armed security, and for the most part will retain that security when they retire, but they want me to surrender it all so they can dictate how I live? I don’t think so…

Again, people are missing the big picture. It’s not the criminals or the deranged people that most gun owners are worried about. It’s all about “GOVERNMENT TYRANNY”. If you don’t believe it could happen here in the United States, then you are not a believer of world history. Wake up people. It could happen here and we the people must ensure it dosen’t ever happen in the United States. Protect the Second Amendment and never give an inch because certain people in Washington wants all your guns and to control your rights as a United States citizen.

registration is a bad thing. registration is the first step to confiscation.
Having served as a special agent (special means you have police power and are armed) u.s.army intelligence, the first thing you are instructed to do when entering a hostil area is to go to whatever hall of records exists, find the gun registration lists and go out and confiscate all weapons. that’s why registration is a bad idea in a free society.