Firearm Carry Conditions of Readiness

I was talking the other day with a fellow who worked the counter at a local sporting goods store. He was, I guess, around fifteen years older than me and we ‘chewed the cud’ about various topics for a while (it was a slow day) and when the topic of firearms came up he asked me about how I “Kept” my defensive firearms.

Understanding he was talking about what READY CONDITION I keep my guns in, both at home and when I carry concealed, I proceeded to tell him using terms that I was both raised with and trained with in the military, that is Colonel Jeff Coopers 5 Carry Conditions:

• Condition Four: Chamber empty, no magazine, hammer down.

• Condition Three: Chamber empty, full magazine, hammer down.

• Condition Two: Round chambered, full magazine, hammer down.

• Condition One: Round chambered, full magazine, hammer cocked, safety on.

• Condition Zero: Round chambered, full magazine, hammer cocked, safety off.

Once I explained these simple conditions he then asked me did I think it “safe” to carry a pistol around in Condition 1 when I carried concealed. I politely asked him what is the difference between a civilian like myself carrying a loaded pistol around and a police officer (besides the obvious fact that uniformed police carry their firearms openly). To that he could not give a response.

He then asked me what condition I keep my defensive long guns at home in. I told him the same. Condition 1. Again he was concerned about “safety”. I assured him all of my firearms are kept in a very sturdy safe that only I and the wife unit have access too. To this he still seemed unsure of “the safety factor”.

I proceeded to tell him that being OVERLY concerned with firearm safety when it comes to DEFENSIVE FIREARMS, and by this I mean not having the firearm READY to use in a moment’s notice, can often lead to tragedy on the part of the gun owner. I then did a quick comical impromptu pantomime of a homeowner asking a would-be criminal to “wait” while he got his gun ready so he could shoot him dead…that got a chuckle.

We have to remember that in the real world, seconds matter when it comes to dealing with deadly threats. Lethal force encounters are often over in a matter of seconds, not minutes. So stacking the odds in YOUR favor when it comes to being able to lay your hands on a firearm that is ready to use RIGHT THEN can literally be the difference between life and death.

Lastly, I told him about a firearm readiness term I learned a while back regarding Shotguns: “Cruiser Ready” is a Law Enforcement term that applies to 12 gauge Pump Shotguns that are carried in patrol vehicles. Cruiser Ready is basically Condition 3 where the tube (ie, magazine on a pump shotgun) is fully loaded but the chamber is empty and the safety is on.

Hopefully I left this fellow in a more “informed” frame of mind that when we met!

Stay Dangerous!

RKBA News: Progressives Pushing the Limits of Crazy After The Parkland Murders

 

I’ve heard a lot of comments since the murderer killed students at the high school in Parkland, Florida. Some comments were thoughtful and heartfelt. Unfortunately, some were insane. Progressives were exploring new limits of craziness. Hold onto your sanity and look at these examples.

Gun owners have begged congress to improve the National Instant Background Check System for years. NICS is the FBI system that is supposed to stop criminals and crazies from getting guns..except the system is broken. Gun owners and the firearms industry formed lobbying groups simply to fix NICS. Some states and armed forces don’t submit their convicted felons into the NICS system. Some states don’t submit their mental patients into the system. Today we have millions of prohibited persons who are not entered into the system that pretends to keep us safe. Now, after Parkland, the progressives tell us that the NICS system is essential and honest gun owners are the source of felons getting guns. Where the hell have they been for the last half-dozen years when we tried to fix this mess?

The Parkland murderer was prescribed psychotropic drugs for depression and violence, but was not entered into the NICS system to prevent him from buying firearms. This is is a problem with the medical bureaucracy, not with firearms.

Broward Co School Board consciously lowered behavior standard so fewer students are reported for criminal actions on campus. The murderer was expelled for bringing a knife onto campus, but not reported to the police. Now the progressives blame guns for violence in schools.

Read the Remainder at Slow Facts

Dose of Truth: Red Storm Rising!

 

There are precious few of us who can remember any “school shooting” that occurred within CONUS, before 1990.

That was the year then-Senator Joe (“… and all you need is a double-barrel shotgun”) Biden proposed the “Gun-Free School Zone Act” that was subsequently passed and signed into law by our good friend, and professing “Republican,” George HW Bush!

This signaled the ominous commencement of the “Gun-Free Zone” movement, and the simultaneous beginning of school shootings in America!

This legislation makes it a federal offense for even a police officer in a school to shoot at a terrorist, who is in the process of murdering innocent children, when the officer is off duty! It makes one wonder if any of these donor-seeking politicians ever actually read the legislation upon which they’ve voting!

Read the Remainder at Defense-Training

The Useless Age Limit Gun Push

The gun prohibitionists have found a new way to ‘slice the onion’. Age restrictions on gun purchases.

It’s a gimmick that sounds like it makes sense. We have age restrictions on all sorts of products. Why not guns? Aren’t they deadlier than beers? Didn’t we just have a lethal school shooting by a 19-year-old?

Except that one is a civil right and the other isn’t.

Also most mass shootings aren’t carried out by teenagers. Most school shootings are. But that’s because the people most likely to target schools are current or former students who are probably under 21. If you raised the age restriction to 30, you could cover a lot of mass shooters, including Omar Mateen, the Muslim terrorist who shot 49 people at the Pulse nightclub, but not Stephen Paddock in Vegas.

Read the Remainder at FrontPage Mag

Before we Arm Teachers and Staff How About We Repeal Gun Free School Zones First?

 

In response to President Trumps Memo to direct the Attorney General to seek comments regarding the banning of “Bump Stocks”, the President of Gun Owners of America, Erich Pratt, issued this Response. 

The response was also significant in that Mr. Pratt also made this remark, which now weighs heavily in the public discourse seeing that the President has stated he is open to the arming of teachers and staff in our schools.

“While Trump ran as a pro-gun candidate, this action does not appear to line up with his campaign rhetoric. Instead of further restricting the right to keep and bear arms, Trump should urge Congress to pass H.R. 34, which would repeal gun-free school zones, an issue Trump campaigned on.

This bill would also repeal the ludicrous law of gun free zones on military bases.

Stay Informed and Stay Dangerous!