Help Me Decide!

It's summer shopping time.  I know it doesn't seem like spring yet, let alone summer, but I'm needing to make a decision.  As you have probably read, I carry either a full size 1911 or most often a Commander-size 1911 through the winter months when I can wear a jacket to cover it.  I'm not fond of inside the pants holsters, and normally wear only a t-shirt in warmer weather.  I really haven't found anything comfortable enough to carry the beloved 1911's in the summer.

Last summer, I carried a really nice Glock 36 in .45ACP, with the Ghost 3.5# trigger.  Unfortunately, it was just about as difficult to conceal as the 1911, so the G36 went away to another happy Glock owner.  It was easy to shoot and very accurate (and a .45), but it was just too "blocky" to conceal well under just a t-shirt on a belt holster.

As you may have read before, I'm not a fan of carrying a .380, but they are better than nothing at all.  I have owned a sweet little Sig P238 SAS in the past, and honestly can say that it -was- one of my favorites.  Easy to shoot, low recoil, and much more accurate than a pistol that size should be allowed to be.  It was built like a fine Swiss watch and truly a remarkable pistol - and I've never been a Sig fan!  Other than their 1911 and the P238/938, I think their other models are just plain too ugly to own - but I do appreciate the quality.  Add in a really nice set of night sights, and voila - the perfect summer carry pistol???  I wish.  I just still have a hard time carrying the diminutive .380.

Now I have an option, the Sig P938.  For just a little more money, I can now purchase a just slightly larger pistol in 9mm.  Again, I'd rather carry my .45, but it just isn't feasible for me with just a t-shirt, and I can't be comfortable with a covering shirt in the summer.

The P238 in .380 was just a joy to shoot.  It was actually fun to shoot, and you can't say that too often about the small pistols on the market today.  My wife's LCP is a neat little pistol, but NOT enjoyable to shoot and I can't seem to be as accurate as I would like with it.  With the P238 in .380, I could dump the magazine in 2 seconds, and have all the holes in one nice little group at defensive ranges.  I could even reliably slow-fire at 25 yards and keep them in a respectable group.  Did I mention that the P238 was stupid accurate?

The P938 in 9mm I have not had a chance to shoot.  I have only read the internet reviews, and my opinion of internet reviews is, well, not really high.  I'm reading that the 938 has a much heavier, grittier trigger pull, and of course the recoil and muzzle flip from a 9mm has to be more than the .380.  Other than that, the P938 is only slightly larger and looks like I could easily conceal it in a quality belt holster as I did with the .380.  I guess the question is, does the recoil of the 9mm make it (much) harder than the .380 to fire multiple rounds quickly and accurately?  If the P938 loaded with heavy defense ammo is not accurate and not easy to shoot, is it really worth upping the caliber to 9mm?  Does a 9mm really have that much more "stopping power" over a modern .380 with quality ammunition - especially when dealing with very short barrels?

I guess I just liked the P238 in .380 so well that I'm afraid to make a (read as big money) mistake in purchasing the P938 in 9mm.  Caliber is obviously the only reason I am looking at the 9 over the 380, but with today's higher quality .380 personal defense ammunition is it really worth it to go up to the 9mm?

Help!!!

P938 SAS

P938 vs. P238
(P938 with added grip extention)

If You Only Read This, I'd Be Happy

I hope that some of you have received a little enjoyment from my blog.  While I don't have a lot of readers, I hope to improve that as time goes on.  Today will be a different story - not gun related at all, but I'm sure I'll get some guns in here somewhere!

My topic today is a little more grim.  Something that all of us men don't really want to talk about.  No, not ED or that kind of thing.  Not that the local WalMart is completely out of ammunition, or that Taylor Swift is getting married.  My topic is heart attacks.  Yep, good old fashioned heart attacks.  The kind that have killed a lot of good people, and much more dangerous than Nancy Pelosi's personal AR15 automatic, clip-fed assault rifle. (See, I told you I'd get guns in there somewhere!)

I'm 44 years old.  I'm overweight, but in fairly decent shape.  I don't work out, but I do watch what I eat and living on a small farm I probably get more exercise than most men my age and with my occupation.  A heart attack was the furthest thought from my mind.  I was worried about the normal stuff - wife, kids, bills, house, etc.  Then it happened.

I was out breaking ice mounds away from the mailbox.  I live out in the country, and with all the snow we've had, our county road snow plows had built up a pretty good mound of snow around the mailbox post.  I received a nasty little note from my mail lady that she couldn't get to the mailbox, so I went out to clear it out for her.  After shoveling for about ten minutes, I felt really worn out.  I mean REALLY worn out.  I felt like I had just ran a marathon.  Not really short of breath, but really weak and unable to do any more.  I went back to my truck and sat for a while, thinking that this would go away.  It didn't.  It got worse.  I called my wife who is a nurse, and told her what was going on.  She said she'd be home in about ten minutes or so, so I continued to sit in the truck and relax.

When she arrived home, I went into the house with her, and decided it might be a good idea to lay down for a while.  I was feeling worn out and a little sleepy.  She convinced me to go to the hospital, and that probably saved my life.

She drove me, in my truck, to the hospital.  About five minutes from the hospital, I started feeling worse.  I started feeling ill, and started sweating all over.  When they got me into the emergency room, they put me on an EKG, and I could tell it wasn't good when they put in IV's and got the ambulance ready to transport me to the main hospital.  Let me tell you this - for a person that gets car sick easy, a ride in the back of an ambulance; IV's hooked up and lots of blood-thinners in my body, it is the worst ride anyone could ever have!

When I arrived at the main hospital they immediately put in a stent and cleared a clot.  99% blockage in the main artery.  A few minutes late to the hospital, and I would have been dead.  No question about it.

I have since recovered, and feel much better even a week later.  The situation did make me think about a lot.  What would have happened if my wife didn't come home until later?  I, like most men, tend to be a little bit on the stubborn side.  If she wouldn't have come home, I would have probably went in the house and laid down on the couch.  And probably would have died.  If I were out hunting, fishing, or just been working out around the yard or farm, I probably would be dead.  Yep, dead.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Funny thing is, my wife had asked me to go in to the doctor to get a heart scan months ago.  Had I listened to her, I wouldn't have had to have that long ambulance ride.  I have a family history of heart disease, but I knew (and my tests showed) that my blood pressure was low, my cholesterol low, and I had no other health issues.  What I didn't know, is that it really doesn't matter - it can happen to anyone.

What I've learned is two very important things.  One, my family and friends are there for me.  I don't have to be Superman all the time.  Second, that heart disease can affect anyone at any time.  There were NO warning signs for me.  None of the classical chest pain, arm pain, or other symptoms you hear about all the time.  I just felt BAD.  No real way to describe it other than I just felt really bad.

My advice to ALL of you, especially over the age of 40, is to go get a heart scan, and NOW.  Today.  Not next week, not next month, and not next year.  NOW.  Most health plans cover it, and some hospitals charge as little as $50.  The test is nothing more than putting a few sensor pads on your chest and hooking you up to a machine for about ten minutes.  No needles, no pain, no nothing.  This little test could have saved me from having a heart attack.  More than likely, if I had listened to my wife and did the test months ago, I would not have had a heart attack.

Don't think that you are in too good of health that it won't happen to you.  Don't think that you are too young, or that you work out, or that you eat right.  Go get the test.  Trust me, it's much easier than the alternative!

Tacti-Cool Mall Ninjas and Internet Reviews

I just read an article that a custom rifle company is suing a page called Sniper's Hide.  This page is evidently a page for long-range shooters.  I won't post my opinions on this page, or the custom gun maker simply because I know nothing about either one of them.

It turns out that the page did a review on the company's rifle, and posted negative things about the rifle and the company.  Now, I'm not saying that the comments aren't true, or that the rifle was or was not of good quality.  What I do wonder  though, is who is the "expert" that reviewed the rifle?  He may have been a true expert, or he may have been a 12 year old kid on the internet - I simply don't know, and in this case will not bother to spend my time to figure it out.  What qualifications does the reviewer have, and what (if any) bias does he have?  Is he a big fan of Brand X rifles?  Is he a gun smith or an engineer?  I just don't know.

This brings me to the subject of today's blog.  Doesn't it seem to you that everyone on the internet seems to have become a gun "expert"?  I do read a lot of blogs/reviews on guns and gear before I buy them, but most of the time it is from a person that posts enough comments, or I "know" that person's comments prior to accepting them as fact.  In addition, when it comes to reviews, you can certainly see a big difference.  For instance, while searching for reviews on the Ruger SRH, the first review listed was on the Smith and Wesson forum.  The review was ok, but not stellar.  The next review written was on the Ruger forum - of course the review was that it was the best handgun ever made. It's the whole Chevy-Ford-etc. thing going on.  On another forum that I was reading, a guy was giving reloading advice - wrong and potentially dangerous reloading advice.  After reading down a few posts, this guy actually admitted that he was 12 years old and had never reloaded anything at all....

You also have to remember that when people like a product, they typically only say they like it when they are asked.  If they hate the product, they will go to every forum/discussion board they can find to tell about all the problems they are having.  This is true with about any product.  If a gun company produces thousands, even hundreds of thousands of good quality products and lets a couple go out the door that aren't quality, that's just normal.  You don't, however, see the hundreds of thousands of compliments on the quality of the product.  You do see the complaints about the few that had problems.  The ultimate question for me is, when you discovered the problems, what did the company do to resolve the problems?  Not all, but most of the time, I've found firearms companies very willing to help.  I wonder how many negative reviews and comments could have been remedied by a simple phone call/email to the manufacturer?  Unfortunately, if the company took care of the problem, I can almost guarantee that there is not a follow up comment on the review or complaint that the company fixed the problem.

The other thing that bothers me is the whole "Sniper's Hide" title of the web page.  Are all of these people snipers?  Do they all want to be snipers?  Do they think they are snipers?  Worse, is there a crazy person there there that WANTS to learn to be a sniper?  I hope not.  

Let's face it - tactical today sells.  Yep, all the tactical rails, drop-leg holster, SWAT team helmet tacti-cool stuff is flying off the shelves, making people a LOT of money.  Personally, I find it ridiculous.  Furthermore, I feel that it brings a negative image upon ALL gun owners.  Obviously the media is going to show the Mall Ninja in full tactical gear, holding his AR15 with every known rail accessory including the drink holder, drop leg holster with his Hi-Point 9mm, huge $5 hunting knife, combat boots, and full combat clothing.  They won't show the normal guy at the range, the kids at the 4H club, or the hunters in the field.

There is a gun shop in a town near here, with the word Sniper in their name.  They use a skull and crossbones type logo.  I do not visit that gun shop.  I do not have a problem with the people, I do not have a problem with their store, and I do not have a problem with what they sell.  They may be the best gun shop around with the best people working for them.  I do, however, have a problem with the name of the company.  I'm sure they get a lot of business because of that name, but did they ever think of the negative view and the way it might portray firearms owners to non-firearm owners?  Displaying this tough-guy-wannabe-sniper image can't possibly be showing firearms owners in a positive light.  Again, I'm not saying that this isn't a good business with good people working/running it.  I just oppose the image that the name brings upon them.  I'm waiting on the "one shot - one kill" shop to open up.

On the other hand, I guess I have to remember that the tacti-cool stuff is bringing a number of new (young) shooters into the world of firearms, and that can be a good thing.  More people are buying firearms and getting carry permits than ever before.  The bad part is, I've talked to a few people in the last few months when buying or selling a gun that truly believe that they are firearms experts.  Really.  I had a guy the other day tell me that I shouldn't carry a 1911 because they were too old of a design and not reliable.  He also told me the old myth that he could shove the slide back if I pointed it at him and keep me from shooting (yes, it is possible to prevent a semi-auto from firing by pushing the slide out of battery - who wants to volunteer to try that tactic??!!).  He was literally disgusted with me and my 1911, and could not understand why I wasn't carrying an XD instead of my old antiquated 1911.  He also told me that he had been shooting handguns for all of three years now, and owned at least two handguns....

I had another guy tell me that he just bought a new ultra-compact .45 to carry.  I knew the pistol, and asked him if he did a lot of shooting.  He gave me all kinds of information on the pistol - barrel length, weight, capacity, and bunches of other statistics.  I really thought this guy knew what he was talking about.  Then he said he had only shot a .22 a few times.  I asked him about the accuracy of his .45, and his answer was "I've been carrying it about a year now, but haven't had time to get to the range yet."  Boy, is he in for a surprise!  All joking aside, I hope he doesn't have the need to use it before he gets to the range.  On the upside, I think I could get a good deal on a nice ultra-compact .45 after he goes to the range!

Don't even get me started on all these AR15 "experts".  The AR is probably the easiest rifle of any platform to work on and customize.  The average shooter is not going to run mud, sand and water through their AR.  Or hundreds of thousands of rounds.  Or shoot 1000 yards.  Or put it through the "torture test" seen on the internet sites.  Or need a laser, holo-sight, flashlight, grenade launcher, back up sights, night sights, spare batteries, bayonets, 100-round drum magazines, and all the other garbage that you can strap to the rails.  I would guess that 95%+ of the AR's sold in the last couple of years have had less than 100 rounds through them.  If you want to customize your AR with all the garbage, good for you.  Just don't tell me you are an AR expert because you can push in a couple of pins and bolt on a couple of rails.  The AR is and was a simple design - that is the beauty of the AR platform.  

I guess I'm just a little surprised at all the experts.  There sure seems to be a lot of them.  My advice is if you are going to use the internet for research, check LOTS of different sites.  Better yet, ask people that actually go out and shoot, ask instructors that are exposed to a lot of different firearms, or simply ask someone that really owns and shoots firearms on a regular basis.  And, leave your tacti-cool Mall Ninja suite (and attitude) at home for when you want to play dress-up.

--Jay (NOT an expert, but constantly learning to be one)

Concealed Carry and Responsibility

I'm probably going to make some people mad today.  I'm probably going to sound like a pinko-liberal-anti-gun person.  I assure you, I am NOT.  I'm just concerned that some "lawful" gun owners are going to give us all a bad reputation.

There was a recent story about a shooting in Florida.  You can look up the details yourself, but I'll sum it up for you.  It appears that a guy was watching a movie in a theater, when he was greatly distracted by a guy texting in front of him.  After a short argument, he got up and told management, which is the right thing to do.  But, instead of asking for a refund and leaving, or maybe changing seats (the theater was not at all full), he came back into the theater and started arguing with the guy texting again.  Of course if you heard the news, you would know that the guy texting threw a bag of popcorn at the guy complaining.  The guy with the gun said he "felt threatened", and shot and killed the guy texting.  The shooter is obviously in jail now....

Worse, this all happened during a PREVIEW - not the feature movie.  The victim left a wife and daughter.  He was texting the babysitter.

Then we can look at other situations, especially the Treyvon Martin incident.  While I believe Zimmerman was LEGALLY correct according to Florida laws, I don't believe he was MORALLY justified in shooting Martin.  I am really upset that it was a black/white/whatever incident that the media made it out to be, and I won't comment more on that.  It was a moral issue to me - I don't care what your skin color is, and I see no racism in what happened there, except after the fact.  Then, I see black people taking advantage of a situation (that's a whole 'nother blog entry for some other time!).

My point is very simple:  Even if it is legally justified to shoot someone, it may not be moral.  Remember the term used is "deadly force" when it comes to law enforcement.  The guy in the theater should have NEVER had a gun in the first place.  Further information suggests that he was prone to anger issues.  If you have an issue with anger, why on earth would you even THINK of carrying a gun?

I was always taught that if you are going to point a gun at someone, you better make sure you are prepared to kill that person.  Forget all the legal bullshit of "stopping" someone for now - "stopping" may or may not be the same as "killing", but as far as I'm concerned, I am not interested in the difference if my life is in danger.  Of course I don't ever want - or intend - to kill anyone.  I'm not sure if I could ever live with myself if I had to kill someone.  I will not hesitate to shoot to "stop" someone, but remember that to "stop" someone could be the same as killing someone, even if the killing part is an unintentional consequence.

Bottom line is that when you carry a gun, you also carry a responsibility.  Not just a legal responsibility, but a moral responsibility.  

The responsibility is not easy to explain, and not always clear.  I'll give you some examples.  You are walking down a dark street.  A man approaches you, and asks for your wallet "or else".  Do you pull your gun on him?  I hope not until you see that he is armed, but if you don't clearly see that he is, then give him your damn wallet!  The question - lose what's in your wallet or live with killing someone (and possibly jail time!)?

Next example, you are walking down that same street and five guys approach you and ask for your wallet "or else".  Now what to do?  Obviously, five guys against one could certainly put your life at risk.  My answer is still the same - if I don't see a weapon, I'm giving them my wallet.

Next example, one man approaches you on the same street and says he's going to kill you and take your wallet.  Same answer as before - if I don't see a weapon, I guess I hope I can defend myself with my hands or whatever else I can.  I'm NOT pulling my gun unless I see that he has a weapon.  I'm sorry, but I'd rather take a beating than have to live with shooting an unarmed assailant.

Next example, a group of five -unarmed- men approaches and say they are going to kill me and take my wallet.  This is a really tough one.  On one hand, I would surely be legally justified to use my weapon, especially if they were actively attacking me.  On the other hand, I would morally be obligated to run (if no weapons were visible).  Seeing that I'm a fat old man, I probably couldn't run far, and probably my life truly would be in danger.  If that were the case, then I feel I would be justified legally and morally to use deadly force.

(Home invasions are a completely different example.  I believe that if someone is breaking into my home, they are already intent on taking a life and assumed armed.  If a criminal is breaking in or has already broken into my home, I will use whatever force necessary to stop that person - no moral question for me here.  Legally,in MY state, this is justified use of deadly force, and in my opinion morally justified use of deadly force.  Your laws may vary, so take a minute and research them!)

My point is that it is NOT going to always be a cut-and-dry decision.  A man coming after me with a knife, sure, I'm going to ventilate him.  A man coming at me with a baseball bat, probably.  A man coming at me with his fist, I'll take a beating if necessary.  A man coming after my family, well that might be different.

What about the people behind your attacker?  Is it a busy street?  Will you hit what you intend to shoot or will you have to live with injuring or killing an innocent person?  I shoot pretty well at the range, but what about in a stressful situation?  Here are the FBI shooting distance statistics:

Contact to 5 feet:  53%

6 to 10 feet:          21%

11 to 20 feet:        12%

21 to 50 feet:          8%

Over 50 feet:          6%

In 70% of all cases, sight alignment was not used.  In 20%, only the barrel was used as a reference for alignment, and 10% could not remember if sight alignment was used at all.  In all cases, ALL shootings within 9 feet were shot using only a one-handed stance.

86% were killed at 21 feet or less - 7 yards.  So why is everyone practicing their handgun shooting skills at 20 or 25+ yards, with a nice textbook isosceles or Weaver stance?  In a draw and shoot scenario (as most statistics show to be the case), do you really think you will be able to line up the sights, get into a stance, concentrate on breathing control (now that's funny!), and trigger squeeze?  Maybe you can, if you are a professional pistol competitor.  I can't, but I do practice to get better at point shooting at close range!  Keep in mind that these statistics are from law enforcement officers - not the general population - that are carrying handguns in readily accessible belt holsters, and may have known the details of the situation prior to getting into the scenario, therefore better prepared to handle the situation.

Here's one more example, then I promise I'll stop boring you with them.  You are in a convenience store.  Two armed men come in, pointing the gun at the cashier demanding cash.  You are carrying a gun, and have a lot of training.  What do you do?  You are probably legally justified to shoot.  You may also be morally justified to shoot (I can't think for you, but I would personally be morally ok with it).  There are three possible outcomes - one, that there are two "stopped" attackers and no other injuries.  Two, that you and the clerk end up dead or injured.  Three, that the two attackers take the money and leave with no one injured.  Of course in situation one, you would have to know that you had the skill to draw and fire at two targets, who already had their guns drawn, and stop them before they injured you or anyone else.  Are you honestly and realistically that good?  I like the third scenario - I could always thank God that no one was injured, and contact law enforcement with the description, direction of travel, etc. to let them do their job.  Was my life in danger in this scenario?  Only you can decide, and only if you are IN that situation.  Would it be different if your family was with you?  

Everyone is different.  Every situation is different.  If you are a 90 pound woman and a 250 pound guy is getting ready to attack you with just his fists, then you obviously have more need to escalate to deadly force.  For me, maybe not.  I'd just rather take the chance and be morally and legally right.  I can recover from a beating, but I may not recover from taking a life that I feel was not morally right - even if it is legally right.

This brings me back to the law enforcement term, "deadly force".  If you TRULY feel that your life or your family's LIFE is in danger, then BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY, protect them.  Shoot to "stop" the threat of losing your life.  Just remember, that stopping someone might mean that they don't live after you stop them with a firearm.

Carrying a gun is NOT for everyone.  If you have ANY doubt about using the firearm, then absolutely DO NOT carry one.  If I just talked you out of carrying, then I'm ok with that.  It is not possible to process and think about all of this when you are in a dangerous situation.  We've all heard the stories about a weak person pulling out a gun only to have it taken away and used against them by the attacker.  If you take the responsibility to carry a gun, then you must take the responsibility to know how to use it, and have the mindset to use it effectively - to stop the threat, whatever the consequences.

For me, I will take on that responsibility.  I will take on the responsibility to learn to be safe, learn the laws, and be proficient with my firearm.  I will also take on the responsibility and realization that pointing a gun at someone, no matter the situation, may end with that someone stopped - permanently - and there will be effects on me afterward.  Don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise.

Jay's Note - this was a hard one to write.  I have so many things to say about this that I can't possibly write it all here, and I'm at a loss to really make my point.  I was just trying to give you an idea of the responsibility involved with carrying a firearm.  Some people can't handle it, and that's ok.  I also don't proclaim to be an expert on the subject, and I'm not sure there are too many people that are truly experts on the subject.  I have only been in one situation where I felt the moral and legal need to remove my pistol from my holster (as a civilian), and the situation ended before it turned bad.  Everyone is different, and every situation is different.  Please excuse my rambling paragraphs above - I can't think for you, and hope I am not implying as such.  If you are going to carry a firearm, please seek professional training, and know the laws in your area!!!

Buying a Firearm Online From a Private Individual

Ok, I'll start this out with a little story.  About ten years ago, when I lived in town (in a not-so-nice neighborhood), I received a knock on my front door.  People that I know go to the back door, so I knew it was either a sales person peddling their scams, a Jehovah's Witness, or something important.  Turns out it was a nice police officer.  The nice officer asked me if I owned a Smith and Wesson Centennial.  I did not, and let him know that I did not - but I did own one about five to ten years prior.  He asked what happened to the revolver, and honestly I just couldn't remember.  I knew that I sold it to a private individual, but I couldn't remember who.  Worse, I was living in another county when I sold it, and had no further contact with that individual since the sale.  The nice officer informed me that the pistol I used to own was used in an armed robbery.

Now comes the time when you try to not look guilty, when you really aren't guilty!  

The police officer and I exchanged phone numbers, and I promised to let him know if I remembered to whom I sold the pistol.  End of story, but I do have to admit a bit of nervousness.  "I forget" is right up there with "it's not mine" for a good answer to give a police officer if you don't expect some scrutiny, but honestly, I did forget.

For those of you who don't know, when you buy a new firearm, the serial number is recorded by the seller (Federal Firearms Licence holder or FFL) in his files.  If that firearm is used illegally, the police can trace the serial number back to the original buyer.  This is what happened in my story.  I bought the pistol from a little shop in central Indiana, sold it to an individual I barely knew in northern Indiana, a robbery occurred, and the police come looking for me.  A number of things could have happened since I sold the pistol.  The guy I sold it to may have sold it to someone else, someone may have stolen it from him and used it in the crime, he may have actually done the crime, he might have lost it in the woods and it was picked up by a criminal, monkeys may fly out of my - ok, you get the point.

I have learned since then to always document to whom I sell a firearm, especially a handgun.  I do not want to tell a friendly police officer that "I forget" again.  All FFL dealers are required to keep a written record of any firearm they sell or buy.

The FFL also is required to do the normal FBI background check, and have his customer fill out paperwork with all of the purchaser's information, and an affidavit that is signed by the purchaser stating that he is not a fugitive, felon, or other labels that would make him ineligible to buy a firearm.  In a sense, the FFL holder has done all he can do to make sure that the firearm is traceable, and is going to a person legally able to own a firearm.

What happens then, when a private individual sells a firearm to another private individual, such as on Armslist or other firearms trading sights?  Unfortunately, it becomes more either "buyer beware", or "seller beware", and I can't tell you which one it may be.  I would hate to think that I sold a firearm to someone that was not able to own a firearm - to knowingly do so is a federal crime, and I would certainly not be fond of visiting the Gray Bar Motel.  I would of course never do that, but what if it was truly unintentional?  Again, I don't want to have to answer awkward questions from the nice police officer.

Here's another story for you - happened earlier this year.  I saw a great deal on ArmsList where a guy wanted to trade an AR15 for what was described as a WWII Colt 1911.  I did not at the time own a military issue 1911, and I just happened to have an "extra" (cheap) AR15 in my safe.  My son and I went to the guy's house and stood in his kitchen while he went to get the pistol.  Keep in mind that I was packing my carry 1911, and was a bit "on edge" with the guy acting a little "squirrely".  Can you say RED ALERT STATUS?

When you go to someone's house with CASH to purchase a firearm, who knows what could happen.  Same thing when someone comes to your house with a firearm to sell, or to buy a firearm from you. I would venture to say that most people that are "into" firearms are some of the best people you would ever meet - but you just never know.  Are you being set up to get robbed, or worse?

When he brought out the 1911, my jaw nearly hit the floor.  So much for negotiating a better deal with my horrible poker face.  It wasn't a WWII model, but a WWI model!!!  His story was that he bought it from his buddy with the intention of carrying it, but it was just too big for him.  A little sketchy, now that I think about it!

I looked it over, made the trade (smiling a huge smile internally) got in my truck and started home.  Then a thought occurred to me.  What if the 1911 was stolen?  Thinking fast, I called a police officer friend to see if he would do a serial number check on it, and immediately drove to the police station.  I handed my sweet baby 1911 over to the officer, and he proceeded to call the national database on his cell phone.  He read the serial number to the lady on the other end (his volume was loud enough to hear both sides of the conversation from two blocks away).  There was a pause for a few minutes, then I heard the lady say "I have a hit on that serial number".  To translate into English, a "hit" means that it is stolen.  He read back the numbers again, while all kinds of bad thoughts went through my head - "ok, I am in possession of a stolen firearm, this guy I traded has my AR, I don't know his name or who he is, and I probably just lost the AR and my sweet little darling 1911".  Obviously, the officer knew that I hadn't done anything wrong, so I wasn't worried about any legal issues, but I was worried about losing BOTH firearms.  I figured my AR was long gone by now...

Luckily, I then overheard the lady on the other end of the phone explain that it was the correct serial number, but the hit for that serial number came back to a Colt 38 special revolver.  The officer explained to her that it was not a revolver, and not a 38 special.  I got my sweet little gem of a 1911 back, and promptly put her to bed in my safe.  Unknown to me until I looked up the serial numbers online, back in 1913 Colt numbered their pistols for each model.  It is very possible that a revolver and a semi-auto 1911 in that time period could have the same serial number.  That has since been changed, and every firearm has a distinct model and serial number.

As you can see, buying and selling in a private deal can be not only tricky and possibly dangerous, but could also be costly.  I would also think that an attorney could go after someone that "knowingly" sold a firearm to someone not qualified to own one - in a civil case.  I would hope that no one reading this would do this, but what if you didn't know the person was qualified?  There really isn't any good way to find out, so documenting everything is key.

There are a couple of things that you can do to protect yourself.  First off, if the deal doesn't feel right, or you feel uneasy, don't do it.  Trust your instincts! (I know, I don't always follow my own advice!)  Next, keep a record of who, what, when, and where you bought or sold a firearm; and keep that record separate from your firearms - obviously not in the safe with them!

I found a really nice form for a private sale online, and the link to it is here:  Firearms Bill of Sale

You will need to download by saving the document to your computer before you can print it - make sure to print two copies, one for you and one for the other party.  It is a very easy and thorough form to use, similar to the form that a FFL dealer would use.  I'm not an attorney and of course would never give legal advice, but I would venture to guess that using this form and verifying the information within would be "due diligence" if there was a problem.  My attorney friends are welcome to comment below....

I wish I would have had the buyer of that Smith and Wesson Centennial fill out this form - especially if he was the one that used it in a crime!  While writing this, I just remembered that the guy's first name was Mike.  If you are out there, Mike, just know that it is possible that I may eventually rack my brain enough to remember your last name (it took me over ten years to remember your first name).  Then you can answer the nice police officer's questions!

Don't let me persuade you NOT to use web sites like ArmsList.  I have bought and sold a few firearms from some very good people on ArmsList, and of course the sweet deal on the 1911!  In the end, it is up to you to make sure you do everything you can to be not only legal, but moral.  

To my friends that are reading this:  If I know you, I probably didn't make you fill out a form, but from now on I will.  If something ever happens to me and my firearms are passed down to my family or sold, it is important that a record is kept.  We can talk about estate sales and grieving widows and those that take advantage of them some other time.

Be careful, and be safe.  While you're at it, take the time to explain firearms safety to your friends, relatives, and kids.

See you next week.

Open Carry and YouTube

**I just saw a new post from a friend on FaceBook with another open carry video from YouTube.  If you haven't seen the various videos, this article may not make much sense to you.  If you haven't seen the videos on YouTube, don't waste your time - just read my blog and imagine that you've seen them!**

I want to make myself clear - I completely support the 2nd Amendment, and I have NO PROBLEM if anyone wants to open carry their firearm - responsibly.  In some areas of the country, open carry is considered normal and acceptable.

Although.....

Open carrying a firearm with the intent to arouse the police or other citizens in order to make a YouTube video to -support- open carry is utterly ridiculous.  If one is a responsible person, one would realize that not everyone shares their point of view on carrying a firearm.  Why make matters worse by parading around town with a firearm exposed?  Do they not think that some people wouldn't be alarmed at seeing (oh my gosh) a gun?

Not everyone shares my views on firearms, and I have enough intelligence to understand that.  If you don't know me, I'm an avid shooter, an avid collector and and an instructor.  I carry a gun 24/7.  I practice with my firearms, and have the skills to use them responsibly.  On the other hand, there are MANY people that believe in the 2A that have never been around firearms and don't wish to have anything to do with them at all.  To try to force people into being comfortable with firearms when they have no background or education in firearms is absolutely insane.  Not only are you making yourself look like a "tacti-cool fool" (that's my word, feel free to use it), but it makes people that would normally support your right to carry become nervous - or worse - anti-gun.

To open carry only for the purpose of videoing for YouTube is even worse.  Now, you've called attention to yourself to the point that someone had to call the police.  Think about it from their side - a person at Wal Mart calls the police on their cell phone, saying that there is a man with a gun walking around the store.  What do you possibly think the police response will be?  Personally, I hope they would send out all available officers, SWAT team, etc. to check this out!

Before you criticize me for this thought, think about it.  Put yourself in the dispatcher/officers position.  You just got a call from a person in Wal Mart about a man with a gun.  What would be the normal thing to do (if you had no firearms experience)?  Obviously, you send out the troops.  Consider if you were now the officer getting the call:  "Man with a gun in Wal Mart".  How would you react?  If I were in that place, I'd certainly be calling for backup, checking my carbine, and I'm sure my adrenaline would be running in the overdrive position.

The real question is, wouldn't you WANT the police to have this response if you didn't know that the person was just an idiot trying to make a YouTube video???  I'm not even going to go into the amount of time and money that was just used to have the police respond to the call, let alone tying up the officers that may have needed to assist other people with their troubles.  To me, it's just as bad as pulling a fire alarm with no fire.

In our state, the police have a right to ask you for identification.  You MUST show your ID, or you will go to jail until you are "properly" identified.  They can "stop" you in a Tarry stop - look it up, I don't have time to explain all the nuances of the Tarry stop.  They can search you.  They can separate you from your firearm for their safety.  As a side note, Indiana is very unclear on open carry.  According to most interpretations, open carry is legal, but definitely NOT recommended.  To open carry in Indiana, you do need a permit.  Indiana issues a permit to carry, not a "concealed" carry permit.

I'll end my rant with the following true story.  I was walking around Menard's the other day doing some shopping.  A young man (I can use that phrase now that I'm old!) walked past me carrying a Glock 17 on his side, in a tacti-cool nylon Uncle Mikes drop leg holster.  The reaction of the people that saw him was "oh my, he has a gun!".  I was just waiting on the troops to storm the store.  I walked up to him and asked him a simple question - "Why?".  His answer was just as simple - "Because I can.".  I then pointed out the people walking by with mouths agape looking at him and tried to explain that he is the reason that people that enjoy, use and carry firearms are thought of as crazy people.  He didn't understand.  Again, let me be clear that this man DOES have a right to do what he was doing, but is it really necessary or responsible?

I'm going to be honest here - the whole time I spoke with him, my hand was not noticeable to anyone, but was resting securely on my Combat Commander and I was ready to react much faster than he could get to his super-duper-tacti-cool holster.  Why?  Because he made ME nervous..........

Open carry is just irresponsible, and a way to exercise one's "bravado".  If I'm standing in a store, and a somewhat intelligent robber comes in and sees my gun, who do you think he'll shoot first?  I would also venture a guess that most of these open carry advocate people don't possess the skills to retain their firearm.  I have been trained on weapon retention, but I still can't possibly say that there isn't someone out there that couldn't take my gun away if I carried openly.  I'm a big guy, with the training necessary.  But unlike a police officer on duty, I have to admit that I'm not always on my toes about retention.  I try to stay very aware of my surroundings at all times, but let's face it - you can't always be 100% and I wouldn't want to have to live that way anyway.  To open carry in a city/urban environment is advertising to some bunch of thugs to attack you for your weapon.  If someone will rob you for that $20 in your wallet, don't you think that having an expensive handgun on your side is more enticing?

Open carry serves absolutely NO PURPOSE other than to draw attention to yourself....and to make videos for YouTube I suppose!

(As I said at the beginning - in some areas of the country, open carry is acceptable.  I am NOT talking about these areas.)