In 2007 the Rand Corporation was asked to do a study of how effective a New York City Police Officer is with his weapon.  You can link to the original study and its recommendations HERE, but one of their observations makes the ultimate argument for a homeowner having a high capacity magazine.

Before I show you the data, I would like to set the table, as it were.

New York has one of the largest police forces in the world.  As you might imagine, their officers receive many hours of training.  But more importantly they are professional policemen, who constantly find themselves in harms way.  They also have extensive support from supervisors and the rest of the department.

Compare this to the average homeowner, who may visit a gun range once or twice a year (at best) and probably never faces anything more dangerous at work than a paper cut.  In a life or death situation, where lethal force is required, how do you believe our homeowner would compare to the NY cop?  think anyone would be amazed if he performed even 25 percent as effectively with his weapon as the police officer.

So – here is the single fact that should win every high capacity argument.  The average hit rate between 1998 and 2006 for NYPD Officers involved in a life threatening situation was only 18 percent. In other words, for every five shots, four bullets missed the intended target. Not only that, but rarely was a single hit enough to eliminate the threat – the average number of shots fired by each officer was 11.1.

Now jump back to our homeowner who wakes in the middle of the night to find an intruder inside his home.  Even if you argue that the officer was only twice as capable as the civilian the homeowner still needs 10 shots to have a chance of hitting his target.  And what happens if he is facing not one but two assailants?

Memorize these numbers and pull them out the next time someone starts talking about reasonable restrictions on the number of bullets we should be allowed to carry in our weapons.  I promise it will put an end to the debate.

P.S. – Another fact that goes overlooked is that a ban on high-capacity magazines is aimed only at law abiding citizens.  When NY implemented such a ban they allowed magazines that hold 10 rounds but do not allow them to be loaded with more than 7.  Is ANY criminal going to stop loading his 10 round magazine before it is full?

With so much “gun talk” in the news I am finding that many people, especially, it seems, the media, are not that familiar with basic gun information.

Below are some high-level definitions of the most common terms I am hearing on the news.  I am not going to get into the distinctions between, say, a ‘pistol’ and a ‘handgun’ because this is intended to just be an introduction that covers the basic background that you will need in the coming months.  Please feel free to email me anytime at info@rightsideweekly.com with questions (or corrections, or things I have left out), which I will freely address to the best of my ability.

Automatic (or Fully Automatic) vs Semi-Automatic

An Automatic firearm is one that continues to fire as long as you hold down the trigger.  More commonly called a “machine gun” it is most used by the military.  Many people are surprised to find out that normal citizens can purchase and own an automatic weapon if they pay a pretty hefty fee and submit to a background check.  Automatic weapons can typically be set to fire in semi-automatic mode, in a three shot ‘burst’, or in Full Auto.

A Semi-Automatic firearm is one that only fires once each time the trigger is pulled.  To fire another round you have to release pressure on the trigger and pull it again.  While the Automatic weapon will fire as fast as the gun can cycle the next round, the Semi-Automatic will only fire as fast as you can pull the trigger.  Semi-Automatics are so named because all that the operator has to do to fire another round is pull the trigger again.  All the mechanics (ejecting the brass from the previous shot, loading another round and cocking the gun) are done automatically by the firearm itself.  This is the most popular type of gun sold today in the US.

Handgun, Long Gun, Shotgun and Assault Weapon

As used today, ‘Handgun” refers to any weapon that can be easily held and fired in one hand.  The Semi-Automatic Handgun is most often the black square looking gun you will see on a policeman’s belt, and the most popular model among law enforcement is made by a company named Glock, which is headquartered in Smyrna, Georgia.

A Long Gun is generally a gun that you place on your shoulder and aim by looking down the barrel.  Mostly, if it is not a Handgun it will be a type of Long Gun.

The Shotgun is a special Long Gun that fires pellets (B-B sized, more or less).  These pellets spread out as they move farther from the gun, to the point that the end of a football field the Shotgun is not effective at all.  The fact that the Shotgun is devastating at close range, very easy to aim because of the multiple projectiles but doesn’t carry far is why it is such a good choice for home defense.

The simple Long Gun is what you see as the Hunting Rifle.  It is most often Semi-Automatic, although it can come in manual and Fully Automatic versions as well.  Because the barrel is much longer on a Long Gun than a Handgun the bullet will carry farther with much greater accuracy.  While it is very difficult to hit a target at 50 yards with a handgun, the same shot is very easy with a Long Gun.

An Assault Weapon is not really a class of firearm, but as used today it refers to a Long Gun that looks very scary or ‘military’.  By far the most talked about type of Assault Weapon is the AR-15, which is the civilian (Semi-Automatic) version of the military issue M-16.  The AR-15 is actually made by a lot of different companies, such as Colt, Bushmaster, Smith and Wesson and DPMS.

Magazine or Clip

The container used to hold ammunition and feed it to an Automatic or Semi-Automatic weapon.  It must be loaded before you can begin to shoot, and when you are ready to shoot you slide the magazine into the gun.  The number of rounds it holds varies greatly with the caliber and type of weapon, but is commonly anywhere between 5 and 15.  Because each magazine is preloaded it is very easy (and fast) to simply eject a magazine when it becomes empty and slip in a fresh one.  Police will always have extra magazines on their belt, and an experienced shooter can change a magazine in a matter of seconds.

Revolver, Lever or Bolt Action Firearms

The revolver became popular during the Civil War and allows a gun to be loaded with traditionally 6 shots at a time.  The standard for police (and cowboys) for many years, it is extremely reliable and very rarely malfunctions.  Revolvers are considered a ‘manual’ gun because you must cock the gun in some way before you can fire the next round.  When you have used all 6 shots the gun has to be broken open and reloaded.

A Lever or Bolt Action is most commonly found on manual Long Guns.  Some of these guns have a magazine that feeds the next round each time the gun is cocked, a few are actually single shots and require a new round to be loaded after each shot.

Round

This is a single unit of completed ammunition, or ‘ammo’.  A round is made up of the bullet (the lead or copper projectile that comes out of the gun) a measure of gunpowder, something called a primer and a case to hold the whole thing together.  When you watch CSI you see the bullet in the victim and the shell cases on the ground at the crime scene.  The powder and primer are both used up in the process of firing the gun.

Caliber

The size of the bullet that the gun fires.  Calibers range from very small like the .22 used for hunting small game to very large like the .45 used in large handguns.  Bigger bullets require more powder to fire and have more power when they hit the target.  Police have told me of people being shot multiple times with a .22 handgun and it having little immediate effect.  Most police now carry a 9mm gun because it is a good balance between power and ease of use.  A 9mm round is slightly smaller than a .45 and so it also allows for a handgun to hold more shots before reloading.

Surprisingly Shotguns use a different system to determine the size of the gun, so for Shotguns the smaller the number the larger the gun.  A 12 gauge is more powerful than a 20 gauge.

Hollow Point Bullet

A solid bullet is very small and may not have that much of an effect on the target.  To make the bullet more effective many bullets have a hole in the tip or point of the bullet.  When this Hollow Point bullet enters an animal the bullet expands and releases much more energy.  Personal defense rounds are Hollow Points to ensure that the bullet has the desired effect on the criminal and that the bullet does not go all the way through and end up hitting something else.

Carry Permit or Concealed Carry Permit

While most anyone in the US who passes a background check can (for the moment, anyway) own a gun, many states place restrictions on where you can carry the gun outside of your home.  A Carry Permit is obtained from your own state, required a special background check, and usually allows you to carry your gun on your person in places unlicensed people cannot.

Does the Government know what guns I own?

Not really, but they could potentially find out.  Right now each gun purchased is registered to an individual, but as far as anyone knows there is no registration that goes the other way.  For instance, given a model and serial number of firearm law enforcement can track down who originally purchased that gun.  But given an individual’s name there is not (supposed to be) a link that goes the other way to find out the guns that the person owns.  I would bet that the next major step we see in gun control will be to require everyone to pay a tax each year on each gun that they own, which would allow the government to build a database of who owns what guns.

The fiscal cliff fiasco just shows what a scam our government has become.

There really should not have been any suspense.  Anyone who pays attention knew we would come out of this with a bunch of new taxes and few, if any, spending cuts.  But there are a few other things you should notice.

First, as I understand the Constitution, spending bills are supposed to originate in the House.  Yet this bill came from the Senate and went to the House.  Do you know how that happened?  Well, the Senate took a House Resolution from July of 2012 (H.R. 8: Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 – click HERE for text), took out everything after the header, and added an ‘amendment’ that was the text of the bill they wanted.  If a corporation was to do this it would be called criminal.

Second, and not that anyone cares, but the House is about to vote on legislation the same day it comes out of the Senate.  Does anyone remember the 72 hour rule?  The idea was that any bill would be online and available for public review for 72 hours before the House votes.  Well, Speaker John Boehner seems to have forgotten what he promised so many times before.

Now as I watch the House floor I see the same people stepping up to make their little speeches and make the same stupid statements like “I request as much time as I may consume” and stating that they reserve the right to “revise and extend their remarks” I am becoming even more disgusted.

In a few days, weeks or months Congress will make the same show over the debt limit, with the same results.  Much suspense, then voting to borrow more money so they can spend it for more useless programs.  If it was a TV show it would be one thing.  But this is actually the future of our nation.  I just don’t see how we can survive it much longer.

It will never pass.  Or at least it should not.  But I am quickly losing faith in the courage of our conservative Representatives.

Senator Dianne Feinstein is putting together legislation that could be called the Assault Weapons Ban 2.0 that would take two steps forward after the one step back she suffered when the previous legislation expired.

It is early yet, and all we have to go on is what is on her website.   But what we have is concerning enough, and whatever the outcome of the vote and discussion it indicates the direction any future actions will take.

Of most interest are the following points about the bill from her website:

• Bans 120 specifically-named firearms – No indication yet of what those are

• Bans “Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one or more military characteristics” – again, we can only speculate at this point what that would include.  But I could interpret that statement to include the popular Glock handguns.

• Moving from a 2-characteristic test to a 1-characteristic test – To me this means that any gun that fails her just one of her tests becomes illegal

Her website says that gun owners to keep their existing guns  but “requires that grandfathered weapons be registered under the National Firearms Act, to include:

• Background check of owner and any transferee;
• Type and serial number of the firearm;
• Positive identification, including photograph and fingerprint;
• Certification from local law enforcement of identity and that possession would not violate State or local law; and
• Dedicated funding for ATF to implement registration.

As of this writing, the full outline of her bill was on her official Senate website  HERE.  These things change quickly, but here is what it said as of December 27:

Summary of 2013 legislation

Following is a summary of the 2013 legislation:

• Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of:
  • 120 specifically-named firearms;
  • Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one or more military characteristics; and
  • Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds.
• Strengthens the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and various state bans by:
  • Moving from a 2-characteristic test to a 1-characteristic test;
  • Eliminating the easy-to-remove bayonet mounts and flash suppressors from the characteristics test; and
  • Banning firearms with “thumbhole stocks” and “bullet buttons” to address attempts to “work around” prior bans.
• Bans large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds.
• Protects legitimate hunters and the rights of existing gun owners by:
  • Grandfathering weapons legally possessed on the date of enactment;
  • Exempting over 900 specifically-named weapons used for hunting or sporting purposes; and
  • Exempting antique, manually-operated, and permanently disabled weapons.
• Requires that grandfathered weapons be registered under the National Firearms Act, to include:
  • Background check of owner and any transferee;
  • Type and serial number of the firearm;
  • Positive identification, including photograph and fingerprint;
  • Certification from local law enforcement of identity and that possession would not violate State or local law; and
  • Dedicated funding for ATF to implement registration.

I have heard a lot of comments from conservative friends and pundits since the Presidential election, and I have to say I like what my friends are saying more than a majority of the public figures.

It seems the bottom line for many of the conservative commentators is that it is time to modify our positions so we can get more votes.  I do not understand how anyone can do that.  We hold these positions because of our values, not because of the votes we can get.  Any true conservative operates his life according to core values – faith in God, a belief in limited government, personal liberty and individual responsibility.  All of our positions come from these values, and we do not change our positions based simply on circumstances.

Pundits are saying we need to attract minorities, women or the younger voter.  I maintain that we do that by staying true to our core beliefs.  We hold our positions because they are right, and when properly explained rational people will see why they have worked for 250 years.  Truth is truth, regardless of who accepts it.

Representatives elected as Republicans are talking about raising taxes.  Even though it won’t make a real dent in the deficit.  Even though they signed a pledge not to.  They are screaming about the “fiscal cliff,” as if it is a crisis that makes the platforms they promoted during their campaigns null and void.  When all the cliff does is exactly what they say we need to do – cut spending and raise taxes.

So I, for one, will stay the course.   And I am not alone.  Below are just two of the e-mails I received from like minded patriots right after the election.  I would love to know what you are planning.

————–

The shock is over, a moment to grieve and then a time to contemplate and figure out where we went wrong, scratch our heads on a concept we can’t wrap our brains around. Our nation has spoken, our nation has become complacent, our nation has become selfish and greedy and I speak of those that care not for the future of their children much less their nation, but what their nation can give to them freely never realizing that freedom is anything but free, but that the mass has voted themselves into bondage. The road to liberty does not and must not stop at the end and outcome of any election, it must continue on, even in temporary defeat. Only those that have lived through tyranny and seen it firsthand truly understand its impact on the human condition.

We, as Americans, have forgotten the sacrifices, our history and our purpose. We’ve been comfortable too long. … May Christ grant us the strength, courage and honor and endurance to forge ahead and reclaim this great nation to once again stand as a beacon upon the hill to which other nations will again see a nation of honor, integrity and above all one of faith. May the 3rd great awakening start with me, may it start with you, may it’s flames spread and burn brightly in the heart of every American until we have regained our purpose.

Mary Mowery, North Carolina

————

I wish I could greet you with a smile on my face today but what you will get instead is a look of determination and resolve not to let the election of Obama destroy this nation. I don’t think anyone can fully state a long term plan of action at this time. We certainly have to regroup and redouble our efforts to circumvent Obama’s crippling national decisions. We must and will do all we can to save our Home.

There is Hope and Change but it does not come from Obama. It beats within the hearts of all freedom loving Americans. This much I do know: we must recruit each and every person to join our movement. You should know that to overcome this man’s dream to destroy our country we must implement and enforce the Tenth Amendment on States Rights beginning today. Each of us must be willing to step forward and continually contact our State Representatives and Senators with reassuring words of encouragement and backing.

We must begin to stop the onslaught of federal intervention into Georgia that will begin to cascade down from D.C.! We will stay in touch more frequently. We will have more meetings of substance. We will discuss and discern what actions will be of benefit and make them happen. There must be vigilance on our part to see this through; We will not go quietly into the night! Please, for the sake of all you hold dear, get involved in some way or somehow.

Remember: If not now, then when? If not here, then where? If not me, then who?

Steve Ramey, Founding Fathers Tea Party Patriots

Growing supplies of crude extracted through new technology including hydraulic fracturing of underground rock formations will transform the U.S. into the largest producer for about five years starting about 2020.

Read the story on Bloomberg…

Demand for user data from Google continued to increase this year, with law enforcement agencies nationwide submitting requests 7,969 times for the first six months of the year as compared to 6,321 demands for data during the previous six month period.

This data came from 16,281 user accounts – frightening, especially since this is only from one web source and the only reason we know about it is because Google releases the information.  Imageine what the government is getting from other companies, and then don’t be surprised at all if the government forces Goolge to stop releasing this information.

Link to the story HERE

Eurozone employment hits all-time low in September

The number has only been tracked since 1995, and September set a record for the number of Europeans without a job in the single currency area – and analysts expecting no improvement any time soon.  If the 11.6% number they reported is anything like the numbers reported in the US, the actual rate is much higher.

Link to the story HERE

The gap in pay between federal employees and private-sector workers has jumped 8  percentage points since last year, according to new data presented at a Federal  Salary Council meeting Friday.

On average, federal employees earn 34 percent less than their private-sector  counterparts, according to the council’s analysis.

Read the full upsetting story…

The number of American workers collecting federal disability insurance  benefits hit yet another record high in October, according to the Social  Security Administration.

This month 8,803,335 disabled workers are collecting benefits, up from the  previous record of 8,786,049 set in September.

Click HERE to read the story on CNSNews