Alright I love tactical stuff but this is WAAY over the top

So its no secret I love the the tactical stuff and have my fair share of tactical gadgets that serve a pretty limited role in every day life.

Today while shopping online for more tactical gadgets I find THIS

The Tuff Kunai™ Tactical Pen

this is the product description taken directly from LAPolicegear.com

The Tuff Kunai™ Tactical Pen is constructed of the highest quality materials and is the most Elegant Tactical Pen on the market today. Built, Designed and Assembled in Japan from A7075 Aircraft Aluminum and finished off with a SUS303B Stainless SteelTip to ensure the highest quality, strength and craftsmanship. The stainless steel barbed clip allows the pen to be worn tactically in just about any pocket without the worry of it unclipping, yet leaves just enough of the Bamboo design finger channel exposed to effortlessly acquire a tactical grip. This tool is designed with a uniquely smooth “Twist-Loc” hi-tech ball point tip that allows for smooth, effortless writing. The strength of the pen is not compromised if you pierce or shatter a windshield. The Kunai™ pen will still continue to write smooth. The flip side of the pen is embedded with a SKS21 (Rockwell Scale 65)hard steel window breaking tool in for emergency situations. The pen uses standard refills and is easy to refill. When using the glass breaking feature (Use Eye and Hand Protection) use the rear end of the pen to strike the glass to shatter it or the tip to pierce the target.

A steel pen is a good defensive item and I am not opposed to them but this one priced a $299.99 seems like way over the top when you can pick up a good steel pen for about 10% of the price

 

Oops its been 2 weeks since I blogged

Alright two full weeks without any new content is not exactly the way to keep my readers happy (all 3 of you). Oddly enough in the last two weeks I have had a pretty good run of gun related stuff happening. I went shooting last week with my Brother as well as my sweetie and her sister. We had a great time put a ton of rounds down range and enjoyed ourselves. However a few things did strike me.

1. Somehow the magic of the .22lr is still never lost on me, I spent FAR more time behind a .22lr pistol than I did my carry gun and I put less than 10rounds through my centerfire rifle but spent a significant amount of time shooting the .22lr rifle.

2. Forgetting your sweeties gun at the house is a GREAT way to tick her off. In the process of loading the car I forgot her .22lr rifle on my workbench. Luckily I did bring her .22lr pistol as well as several other guns but I felt pretty dumb for that one.

3. While I love the current range I have been shooting at Tacoma Sportmens Club I yearn for a more open less structured environment. Not being able to do any holster drills or even a set of double taps kinda bugs me.

Now the ammo cabinet is mostly empty and its time to restock.

 

I found what I’m making for dinner

So I occasionally make dinner for the house and I try to be inventive and creative. Well today I am doing this by stealing a recipe from a blog who stole it from another blog.

Macaroni and cheese and deep fried mac’n’cheese ball pie, with a bacon lattice top – a tribute to Paula Deen

I found this link by Breda who found it on Desserts for Breakfast

And the actual blog post is here

 

 

 

For pastry:
2 cups flour
1/4 tspn salt
6 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
2/3 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 Tbspn tabasco sauce
5 Tbspn ice water

1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the grated cheddar cheese and cold butter into the flour until the size of small peas.
3. Gradually add the tabasco sauce and the ice water one tablespoon at a time until, when you press the dough between your fingers, it holds together. Do not overmix!
4. Wrap the dough in parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator roll it out, about 1/8″ thick. Place the dough into the pie plate and crimp the edge. Using a fork, pierce the bottom of the crust several times.
7. If the dough has become soft from rolling, place the prepared pie plate in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes.
9. Line the inside of the pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans.
10. Bake for 15-17 minutes, then remove from oven. Remove the beans and parchment paper and line the edge of the pie crust with foil. Return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes until the crust is golden. Remove. Keep the oven on.

for filling and topping:
mac’n’cheese*
seven deep-fried mac’n’cheese balls
bacon

11. Spread a layer of mac’n’cheese at the bottom of the pie. Top with the seven deep-fried mac’n’cheese balls and fill the pie with the remaining mac’n’cheese.
12. Create a lattice top with bacon, making sure to cut the bacon strips long, since they will shrink in the oven.
13. Return to the 425 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes until the bacon is cooked. Remove.
14. Serve with hot sauce and maple syrup

 

 

Maggie Reese wins again.

As a new blogger I am still very obsessed with my stats. So again I am pouring over my last set of statistics and again Maggie Reese tops the list in so many ways. I sent an email this week to Maggie Reese looking for some more specific information so I can please the people and as of yet she has not responded. But I think its pretty cool that even after her elimination from Top Shot she is still getting the web attention.

maggie reese	77
taurus ct g2	23
maggie reese wiki	11
maggie reese wikipedia	8
olegvolk	8
mossberg chainsaw	7
taurus carbine ct g2	6
germany’s national security ww1	4
taurus guns	4
trail judge gun	4
taurus raging judge 28	4
maggie reese top shot	3
top shot maggie reese	3
batfe shotgun ruling january 24	3
top shot season 2	3
taurus raging judge 28 gauge	3
maggie reese topshot	3
taurus ct g2 carbine	3
batfe shotgun importation	3
shot show 2011	3

 

Putting Cameras on Cops

One of the great things about working as part of the public transit system is that people seem to leave EVERY conceivable newspaper around since obviously they are too good to actually dispose of them. The upside of this is that I get to look over/ read 6-8 different newspapers a day. Well yesterday I found “Real Change” which is a local newspaper sold by homeless/ low income folks. I actually support their business model since they sell these papers to the vendors for $.35 and then the vendor sells it to the customer allowing homeless folks to actually earn some money rather than just begging. But thats another matter.

The article that caught my eye is entitled Would new cop cameras protect and serve citizens? the short version is that at least 2 local Police departments are considering these small wearable cameras to be attached to officers uniforms so when an incident happens it is recorded on wide angle video with audio. The idea behind this is to provide an “impartial” witness. My libertarian side screams that this is a major privacy invasion but I also feel that in all reality anyone who lives in a major American city likely spends most of their day on camera anyway, between malls/ parking lots/ office buildings/ traffic cams /ect we are already “one nation under surveillance”. This makes me think that these cameras might actually do more good than harm. However according to the article ” In Lake Forest Park, Parrish wears Vievu PVR-LE2 and is evaluating it for the department. He said he turns it on when he’s approaching a citizen to make contact, mostly in traffic stops, and tells them they’re being recorded.” This is the part that bothers me, if these things are going to be used they need to be on all the time and have the recording capacity of at least 12-14hrs since the average LEO shift is 10-12hrs. They should be turned on at the start of shift and off at the end. I feel that adding one more duty for an officer as he approaches somebody is going to risk officer safety. Also picture this scenario, officer is on patrol, they see somebody in need or an emergency situation, they quickly call dispatch and “call out” then jump out of their car and rush to the scene. Somewhere between scanning the scene for safety and trying to figure out what exactly is happening they forget to trigger the camera. Then the situation goes south and they end up using force in one manner or another. The department does their investigation and finds that they don’t have the video footage, then somebody has to determine of this was intentional or human error. Of course the media will demonize the officer and assume that he intentionally turned the camera off. Also we can assume that as soon as these get issued out their will be some sort of requirement that an officer turns on the camera when coming up to a scene, this seems like a way to have a lot of disciplinary actions for what are at least in some cases honest mistakes. In fact the article brings up some of these issues,

Lake Forest Park’s Officer Parrish has found the Vievu cameras aren’t perfect.

When he goes to download video from the camera at the end of his shift, he only gets a 95 percent download rate. Whether it’s the camera’s fault or a problem uploading the video to the police department’s computer, he’s losing about 5 percent of the video he takes, he said. All in all I like the idea and think that it would protect officers and reduce complaints that are exaggerated or completely fabricated. The artice does mention some current issues in the law that would need to be fixed before these can be used widely in the field but I feel that adding a LEO exemption to some of these privacy laws would not be difficult.

Below I posted the technical stats from the Vievu website itself the part that really bothers me is the 4hr battery life and the 4hr recording time. These need to be tippled before I feel that these are ready for the field use.

• Increased Low light Capability
• Enhanced Image Quality
• Digital Signature Security
• 4 hr Recording Time
• 4 hr Battery Life
• 4 GB Internal Memory
• Date & Time Stamp (GMT)
• VGA 640×480 Resolution
• 30 Frames Per Second
• Color Video & Audio
• Waterproof (IPX5)
• Dimensions: ~ 3″x2″x.75″
• Compatible: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7
• Green Design – RoHS & WEEE certified

 

 

 

 

Elections have Consequences even in Wisconsin

So for the last 3weeks I have been watching the shenanigans in Wisconsin go on and on. Its fun to watch but now its just getting ridiculous. Today protesters forcibly broke into the Wisconsin capitol, broke windows and pushed passed metal detectors and other security measures.

I suppose I should be sorry that these leftists lost an election and Gov. Walker won but I don’t, the people of Wisconsin elected this current group of leaders and then they are doing exactly what they were elected to do, cut the budget and restore order. While I think both sides of the issue are starting to become more interested in the news coverage than actually serving the people who elect them I can’t help but default back to believing that they got what they asked for.

Now I say this as a union member, I am actually an SEIU Local 6 member in Washington. The idea of watching a portion of my paycheck go to SEIU bothers the hell out of me BUT I have to support myself and soon my family so sometimes you have to make decisions that might damage your ideals. However I need to note that so far my union has been good about only working on issues that actually effect our industry. That was until this week when I received an email asking me to “Stand with Wisconsin” I then immediately wrote to my union and explained that I feel that they need to stick to our own industry and not go political on this junk.

 

Ammo Recall

Stolen from Kevin

 

PRODUCT WARNING AND RECALL NOTICE

WINCHESTER® RANGER® LAW ENFORCEMENT 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point®

3/1/2011

Olin Corporation, through its Winchester Division, is recalling six (6) lots of its RANGER® 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point® (PP) centerfire rifle ammunition (Symbol Number RA223R2).

Lot Numbers (last four characters): DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, and DK51

Through extensive evaluation Winchester has determined the above lots of RANGER® Law Enforcement ammunition may contain incorrect propellant. Incorrect propellant in this ammunition may cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable, and subject the shooter or bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury when fired.

DO NOT USE WINCHESTER® RANGER® 223 REMINGTON 64 GRAIN POWER-POINT® AMMUNITION THAT HAS A LOT NUMBER ENDING IN DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41 or DK51. The ammunition Lot Number is ink stamped inside the right tuck flap of the 20-round carton, as indicated here:

To determine if your ammunition is subject to this notice, review the Lot Number. If the last four characters of the Lot Number are DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41 or DK51 immediately discontinue use and contact Winchester toll-free at 866-423-5224 to arrange for replacement ammunition and free UPS pick-up of the recalled ammunition.

This notice applies only to RANGER® 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point® centerfire rifle ammunition with lot numbers ending in DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, and DK51. Other Symbol Numbers or Lot Numbers are not subject to this recall.

If you have any questions concerning this RANGER® Law Enforcement ammunition recall please call toll-free 866-423-5224, write to Winchester (600 Powder Mill Road, East Alton, IL 62024 Attn: RA223R2 Recall), or visit our website at http://www.winchester.com.

We apologize for this inconvenience.

 

Interesting to compare these two articles

Both of these articles appeared on Friday March 4th on the same page in the Seattle Times. The first article entitled Obama Lifts Ban on Mexican Truckers essentially talks about how the current ban on Mexican Truck drivers has been eliminated so now these Mexican licensed commercial drivers can freely cross onto US Highways. I am all for free trade but I certainly see the possible safety issues that are connected to this. In addition all of the work that these guys do are jobs being taking away from the American truckers. In addition there are environmental concerns but frankly those don’t carry much weight around here.

However this is the part of the article that really grinds my gears,

The agreement was the only substantive take-away of a meeting between the two leaders. Calderón has complained in recent weeks that U.S. efforts in the joint fight against Mexican drug cartels have failed to curb the American demand for drugs or stem the flow of weapons into Mexico.

Obama praised the “extraordinary courage” of Mexicans and pledged to remain a “full partner” with Calderón.

Calderón expressed sadness for the slaying of Jaime Zapata, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Mexico, and pledged to bring those responsible to justice. But when Obama said the United States had filed a formal extradition request asking Mexico to turn over Zapata’s suspected killer, Calderón said he was not willing to comply.

So basically Calderon complains about how America is what is making Mexico a third world nation, then goes onto say that although he is terribly sorry that one of our federal law enforcement agents was killed he is not actually willing to help us out. So what is Obama’s response? He gives in and makes concessions on American commercial vehicle rules. Now I fully believe that an agreement could have been reached where we allow at least a limited number of trucks and truck drivers on American roads but I don’t feel that it was the proper response to Calderon saying that his countries problems are all the fault of “The Great Satan”

The second article, Border Fence Leaves some Texans in No man’s land explains how the new fence along the Mexican border isn’t actually along the border in at least one area. Traditionally the Rio Grande river has been the international boundary and like many rivers it wanders from time to time but at least according to this the reason the fence was built so far on the US side was to avoid building in the flood plain of the river.

The once-swift river now could be crossed with little more than a leaky inner tube. Still, there was comfort in knowing that, on the map anyway, the Rio Grande marked the international boundary. Nowadays, Taylor isn’t so sure.

The Homeland Security Department last year put up a tall steel barrier across the fields from Taylor’s home. The government calls it the border fence, but it was erected about a quarter-mile north of the Rio Grande, leaving Taylor’s home between the fence and the river. Her two acres lie on a strip of land that isn’t Mexico but doesn’t really seem like the United States either.

So on one hand we have the US Government giving in and making concessions on Highway policy to Mexico and on the other hand we have the US literary putting Americans on the Mexican side of the fence. While I fully support the border fence I am certainly not happy that it is not actually on the border. I certainly think that this could have been done much better.

Finally I must take issue one one specific section of the article

Heightened U.S. enforcement efforts, Taylor said, have bred a meaner, more desperate class of illegal immigrants. Some banged on her doors and windows last week, possibly seeking help. She can hear the “booms and bangs” from the drug wars in Matamoros, and Mexican military helicopters have strayed over her house, she said.

“We’re not afraid, but we do realize that Matamoros could spill over here,” said Taylor, who keeps three assault rifles loaded. The guns give her a sense of safety, she said, unlike the fence: “It’s not providing security for us, and it’s actually shutting us out of America.”

I really don’t see what this adds to the article, first of all it seems entirely reasonable that a family in Texas living on the border would have a home defense plan. Of course using the term assault rifles without any information to back this up is not only crappy journalism but just plain bullshit if you ask me.

 

 

Film Review: Exit Through the Gift Shop

As an avid podcast junkie one of the podcast I regularly listen to is The Film Vault, and in that show one of the hosts regularly talks about this movie as one of the best movies he has seen recently. It seemed very much not my style since I have never been to an art show and really do think of “street art” as vandalism. Exit Through the Gift shop is essentially the story of several street artist from California and one guy who walks around with a video camera filming them all the time. About half way through the film the “filmmaker” becomes a street artist himself and essentially takes what he has picked up from the other artists and makes a huge profit off it.

I took a chance on this movie really just because it was on Netflix instant view and I had some time, well I am very glad that I found it and will recommend it to others. It reminded me a lot of My Kid could Paint That which is another great film I recommend for you all. This film is a pretty artsy film but has a fair amount of human interest and comedy in it. It got and R rating but I don’t really see why. If you have an extra 84 minutes and nothing to watch then check this one out. Overall I would give it 4/5 stars.

 

Don’t be “that guy”

It should not be a secret to any of us who regularly shoot or read gun blogs or whatever that gun owners are actually a pretty diverse group of people (despite how the media portrays us) and their are lots of personality types in the movement.

There are guys who shoot for the sole purpose of hunting they own a few guns all chambered in major centerfire calibers and maybe a .357mag trail gun. These guys are good people generally although this is the type of person who created “fudds” who are destructive to other parts of the movement.

There are the competitors, these individuals live for the next IDPA/IPSC / whatever match and if it didn’t roll out of a custom shop it must be shit. Again good guys but they have their faults.

The next group might not even consider themselves part of the movement, this is the person who owns 1-3 guns solely for the purpose of home defense, likely fires less than 50rounds per year but wouldn’t really like to just hand them over when the BATFE agent shows up on their porch.

Next group is the hardcore CCW guy, I think this guy is personified by Michael Bane, although they are interested in all aspects of the shooting sports their main goal is personal protection and they carry everywhere they can. This is likely the most likely person to want to bring someone new into the movement but again they have limited interests.

Finally you have the gun nut, this is those of us that have rooms devoted to guns always have a “guns I want list” that is longer than a standard grocery list and they sometimes spend half of their day on a forum or gun blogs. Some of these guys are all talk most have very strong opinions but again still mostly good guys.

Finally there is that guy, this is the guy who buys guns just because somebody somewhere said that its the most awesome gun ever. He often buys multiples of the same gun “just in case” and likely only wants to buy from private sellers due to not wanting the man to see what he is doing. Sometime these guys come out of the survivalist/ prepper movement sometimes they don’t. Again to each their own however the dangerous part about these is a surprising number feel the need to bring gun conversation up at the wrong time, force opinions on people and often don’t respect the social norms. These guys may seem normal until you hear them talk about the next civil uprising and zombie apocalypse. This type of attitude is fine in certain settings but often drives people away from mainstream gun owners because these types get picked up on by the media like a sex scandal. Frankly its my belief that although this type of stuff is fun and enjoyable when everybody expect that its a little exaggerated it can also become mighty dangerous to our cause.