wjh2657

   Under Tennessee law "cowering" was the only legal thing you could do in this situation. You are not allowed to draw and fire to stop a robbery. Unless they started firing, particularly at you, your gun should stay holstered.   Which brings me to my main point. There is a lot of talk about what you need in a "gun fight" here. If you find yourself in a gun fight , up against a high cap semi auto and a shotgun, your tactics suck dude. You are most likely going to die.   I think the term "self defense" needs a finer defining in these forums.   No, I don't feel "outgunned" for self defense with a revolver, I EDC a S&W 642. I intend to think ahead and avoid "gun fights."

Some people are  Republicans.   Some people are Democrats   Some of us are Americans.   Three totally unrelated groups of people. You pick and choose which one you are.

Against the 5+ MS13 gang bangers armed with AR-15s and holding  two hostages, last shot being from behind a barricade at 50 yards because one of them is wearing body armor? Sadly undergunned with my revolver. Might as well not even go outside, I am a dead man already.   Against a lone meth head jumping out from behind a van at 10'  in the WALMART parking lot? Five shots of .38 +P will most assuredly suffice.   As my community is a quiet, rural little county seat well away from any big city diseases, the second scenario is the one I prepare for. I feel quite comfortable with a 642 in the pocket.   As for gangbanger invasions, the biggest crime you can commit in my county is the dreaded "You ain't from around here are you?" and the chance of an out of down group getting further than i mile into the county before seeing blue lights is almost nil. What I need to get ready for is a lone local boy going over the edge on meth.

"The military didn't choose this, the administration did."   According to my military newletter ( 30 year USMC Retired), it was the individual branches that elected to cut back TA. It has always been the individual branches authority to administer their own TA programs, as funds come out of individual service budgets. I can remember when the USAF had it and the USMC didn't (Late 50's and early 60's) The Corps wasn't being mean, we were going through some tough budget cuts (like now!) and we had to cut back the TA to fully fund Unit Training (more important to enable  staying alive!) TA came back as soon as the "Green Money" started flowing again. In my 30 year career I was either Air Delivery (Airborne) or flight crew and I never had the duty hours that would allow me the time for school. My off duty time was spent learning my job as I was re-evaluted every year.   I had to wait, like a lot of other "Front Line " types to retire before I could get advanced schooling. I have since obtained a Master's Degree in Education through the GI Bill and employer funding.   Budget cuts like this are not "program" specific. The Service branch is told what they will get and they have to figure out what they can and will cut in specific programs. Hardware is another story as all the hardware contracst  go through Congressional approval and that depends on how much money the specified Defense contractor has slipped under the table  to their favorite legislator.  Again. not really the administration. We have a lot of government officials screwing with us but don't let the "Obama Fog" hide the fact that both Democrat and Republicans in Congress are also  leading us astray. They will be staying around and stiffing us long after we change Presidents.

If everybody wants to play "Red Dawn" I have a safer way to get your jollies. Join the U.S. Military and get your young rears over to Afghanistan and be real soldiers.Visions of  groups of good old boys wandering around with loaded AR15s /AK47s in their hands is all the antis need to get rid of all of the guns. I'm a gun person and the thought of armed mobs of confused  citizens gives me the willies! Hunting season is something entirely different. I remember growing up in Ohio and  carrying my shotgun in the Pickup truck all day, including at school.  I can live with the Tennessee law as it is now. I would carry a shotgun in "Cruiser Mode" anyways.

All laws are written by lawyers, for lawyers. They say everything and they say nothing. Keeps civil law attorneys in business.

  As one who spent a three year tour "in country" as a sniper and a later 13 Month tour as a FAC with an ANGLICO team I have to add that the mission of the two is completely different. As a grunt the mission is to lay down a field of fire on an usually unknown number of targets in cover and concealment. The purpose is to break the momentum of their attack and drive them back. There is no time or tactical system to pick out individual targets and practice good marksmanship.   Your mission is to drive them out and back, kill ratios are incidental.  Many times a police mission will be the same.   As a sniper your mission is the kill itself. "One target, one shot" prevails. A home invasion is man to man, much more like the sniper mission, but with multiple shots and possibly multiple targets. If they have already broken in, you are not going to break their momentum, you have to put them down. There will be little cover or concealment and no appreciable loss of momentum. I still say this is 12 gauge pump shotgun work!  

  Your letter will be read and then tossed by a high school senior "intern" who has been instructed by the chief of staff to deep six anything from" those gun nuts". You don't give him thousands of dollars for his re-election fund so he doesn't give a **** about what you think.

  Thank you Mike. The whole point that everybody seems to miss is that a normal citizen (without a HCP) carrying a gun is committing an illegal act .The HCP  gives you an immunity from this law.   Unfortunately, an LEO doesn't know you have that immunity until you show your HCP. Up until the time you show your HCP, you are criminal in his eyes. (One big reason I don't OCC, hate going through the whole drill !)   Carrying a gun in TN, we are governed by the Tennessee State Constitution (interpreted through the TCA) and it does clearly state (again through the TCA) exactly what conditions must be in place for carry.   I buy all of my guns through FFL dealers and make them put the numbers from the background check on my receipt (You normally don't get a copy of the background check) and I have all of my receipts filed plus scanned copies on file in my backup hard drives. If  an LEO wants to run the numbers I have no problem. If they do come up as lost or stolen, I have my proof that I complied with the law. I may lose the gun but I will not face legal action.   Yes they are probably violating my rights, But if I were a Cop Killing Serial Killer Pedophile carrying a handgun and they took it away from me, they also be violating my Second Amendment rights. It does not say such a person can be restricted from possession and carrying a handgun. It says everybody can carry a gun. I am not being sarcastic, it does say that. Whatever laws they come up with about guns is always going to violate the literal letter of the law as stated in the Second Amendment. But I can guarantee there will always be laws that do restrict us.  I just follow them and go on my way. It's part of the price you pay to live in a society instead of a cave!

Maybe I am way off track, but I prefer the .44 Special to the .45LC. I have owned revolvers  in both calibers and the .44 was always more comfortable to fire and way more accurate. I had a S&W Model 624 ( 6" bbl) that could shoot rings around any match pistol of any caliber. The .44 Special is one sweet cartridge.

I was raised on Goldwater and Bill Buckley. I am a Goldwater Republican, the true Conservatives. There is nothing in the Neo-Conservative Republican Party of today that resembles any of my beliefs so now I am an Independent. A whole lot of the Independents everybody is worried about are just like me. The party of Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers and Adelston is going to have to self-destruct before anything can be done to change the party. Rand Paul is still new so I have no idea what effect he will have. I do know it will take more than 1 man to make the change, so until there appears a whole lot of true conservatives we are stuck with the mess we have. I still vote Republican at state and county level but the RNC is just a bunch of dangerous con men as far as I can see.

After 30 years Active Duty in the Marine Corps and three very credible civilian tactical courses I am proud to say that none of the training is really worth much. My environment pretty much presages that I am most likely to be attacked from 10-30 feet in a WALMART parking lot after dark! I pocket carry a S&W 642 snubby. I now practice drawing from my pocket  aiming quickly at eye level and blasting into a 8" circle at 21 feet and shooting from the hip at 10 feet, again at an 8" circle. You would be surprised at how difficult this can be, It is a whole different world for shooting.   I firmly believe in training to your most expected threat. I don't put myself in positions where I will need more. I am getting very good at hiding and escaping. The Marine Corps even endorses that, they call it Escape and Evasion (E & E). Some fights are not for a single combatant but some fights, up close, will happen too fast to avoid.

Shotgun (Cruiser mode) at night and EDC in the other holster. When grandkids come, shotgun goes in gun safe and revolver is in my pocket during day and at bedside at night.

Okay. Seems we have two completely different sets of laws pertaining to what the "Militia" is and can be. Both are apparantly valid law and yet are in conflict. The latest reference in "Acts of the GA" that I found pertinent are in the Acts of the GA session of 1887 which actually amplify the provisions of the Acts of the GA 1885. The major conflict would be in that the Militia to be called by the governor according to the TCA may or may not include units of the Militias legally set up by the Acts of the GA. Too much for me.. Folks with a lot more legal background than me are going to have to dissect this quandry.

There seems to be a huge misunderstanding as to what constitutes a “well ordered militia” as cited in the Second Amendment. In this state (Tennessee) the structure and legality of the militia is laid down in Title 58 of the Tennessee State Code Annotated.    Only able bodied males of 18-45 years of age who have no other military commitment (Reserve, Ready Reserve or Draft eligible) can be inducted into the militia. They are enrolled only when needed and then only by order of the Governor and approval of the state General Assembly.    They can only be called in case of invasion or rebellion. (To put down a rebellion, not be the rebellion!)    After being called they can be immediately handed over to the National Guard by Order of the President of the United States.    Officers in the Militia must possess the same qualifications as Officers of the National Guard (Bachelors Degree for 2LT and Masters Degree for LTC and above.)    All orders, procedures, rules and regulations for the guard will be issued by the Governor.   If you form an armed ”Militia” under any conditions other than these, you are simply an armed mob and will probably be dealt with, under the law, as such.   The Militia units formed during the revolutionary War were formed prior to the Constitution being enacted. Their authority and structure changed after the Constitution became law. They became “State” armies, subject to being absorbed by the Federal Government through the National Guard.   I served thirty years in the United States Marine Corps and then  twenty years in the Tennessee State Guard and I am aware, from first hand experience, that the subject of military forces is well covered by laws.

Dianne Black is strictly a D.C. person. She will do whatever works for her in the capitol. It might be to our advantage or it might go against us, but it will definetely work for her! We need another Republican  to replace her. She is no different than any of the other career politicians and she has been there too long. We need somebody with really close ties to the people of the area she represents and to take a Tennessee perspective on Federal legislation. She is my Congressman/woman (I lose track of what is PC!) and I just don't trust her, she is bought just like the rest.

Praying for no changes, but just to be ready for changes if they come, I tried to find 2 ten round mags for my G23. Every supplier and dealer I have checked (CTD,MIDWAY, Brownells, Glock Shop and local guys. ) tells me that none are to be had or can be ordered in the near future. In short, Glock has none stockpiled. I sent a customer service email to GLOCK, USA and asked if this was true but have yet to receive a reply.   Anybody have some substantial intel on this?

All said and done, WallyWorld is still the best bet for quality practice ammo. I buy WWB FMJ ammo in the big boxes in both .38 Spcl and .40S&W. I couldn't afford to buy it at my gun shop, priced out of sight. The mail order places are always out of stock. For many of us in rural TN, WALMART is our main source of ammo.

All said and done, WallyWorld is still the best bet for quality practice ammo. I buy WWB FMJ ammo in the big boxes in both .38 Spcl and .40S&W. I couldn't afford to buy it at my gun shop, priced out of sight. The mail order places are always out of stock. For many of us in rural TN, WALMART is our main source of ammo.

All the sooth sayers and oracles are telling us what OBama is going to do and I don't really think he has the foggiest notion yet what they can really do. I do know he is a political survivor and any kind of Executive Order that could be construed in court as abridging as denoting in the 2dA is not something he wants to have to face.

Judge Andy ( I have a copy of each and every book he has written) is a true Libertarian, not a Tea Party imitation and a real defender of the Constitution. He was too real for FOX or for any other network for that matter.

All I have to do is find 2 ten round magazines for my GLOCK 23. Everything else I own is Pump, Bolt Action, Lever Action or Revolver. My Ruger MK II is already 10 shot as is my Ruger 10/22. I am not against everybody owning an AA gun or a Barrett, I just never had any purpose for them. If I can't shoot a squirrel, a deer or a turkey with it or put it in my pocket, I don't own one.

The Bushmaster in the car story was released by media and not the police. A reporter saw his shotgun in the car and misidentified which weapon it was. Coroner confirmed that the Bushmaster was used to kill everybody else and that one of the pistols was used on the shooter himself.   The major point missed here, by posters to these forums and the media, was that the major problem here was negligence on the part of the mother. She knew her son had issues and allowed free access to her weapons. She is the first and only person that could have prevented this horrible occurence, simply by properly securing her weapons.   The shooter had been turned down for purchase of a weapon recently. Connecticut had gun control in place. He couldn't purchase a gun in this state. The problem was not an issue of State or Federal laws, it was a very reckless act by a parent. She has already been punished, he shot her first.

Yup, that's the new issue. Nice knife but a lot more bulky than the Victorinox Pioneer or Wegner Original Issue. Victorinox is selling the Pioneer, Farmer and Cadet faster than they can make them so I think they will be around for a while. I have the Cadet in Red, Black and Silver Alox. Absolutely the best dress knife ever made. Daughters-in-law and grandkids call them my "Grandpa Knives."

I ordered two 10rd Glock 23 magazines from them the other day and was informed that the order was dropped (but not before they charged my credit card for the purchase) as they were "out of Inventory".