These were in the supermarket flower concession on Friday. They just had to follow me home . . .
Click on the image to enlarge.
February 2009
Warthog Recoil Spring
Last weekend while inspecting and cleaning up my little Para Ordinance Warthog .45ACP compact pistol, I discovered cracks in the recoil cap and a broken ferule on the recoil spring assembly, itself. In last week’s range report, Bob said:
This was the day for misfeeds, I guess. The Para, which had been working mostly flawlessly the last several outings, suddenly had numerous misfeeds. Nothing serious and a little lube fixed it for the most part. It happened using the same ammo and under all the same conditions as before.
After making the discovery of the defective parts, it was no wonder it acted weird. It’s a good thing that I found the cracks and broken ferule before the gun catastrophically failed.
We will be ordering the replacement parts on Monday. We will be calling our friend in Para Public Relations to discuss the best way to restore my favorite pistol to full functionality.
Click on the images above for a closer look at light shining through the cracks in the spring cap and the broken ferule.
TASER XREP Shotgun Stun Projectile
While a TASER XREP might be a good non-lethal solution to a home invader, I would recommend the next round in the magazine to be a standard 12-gauge double-ought round – Just in case.
How Stuff Works has a new article on this interesting technology.
Creating a device small enough to fit into a shotgun shell casing but powerful enough to incapacitate a subject was no easy task. The development team at TASER had to find a way to balance power with size. Not only did they need the device to travel farther than a standard TASER, but also to have the right amount of mass. If it had too little mass, it wouldn’t travel far enough. But if it had too much mass, it could become a deadly projectile rather than a non-lethal solution.
UPDATE: This has nothing to do with this post, but deserves your attention. Gun Rights Examiner has details about a teacher getting suspended for having a picture on Facebook while holding a gun. Recommended reading for sure.
California DMV Rollback
Governor Terminator terminates DMV services a couple of days a week to ‘save money.’
All Department of Motor Vehicles offices will close the first and third Fridays of each month by order of the governor.
The action begins this week under the Governor’s Executive order, addressing the state’s $42 billion deficit and ongoing financial crisis, the DMV said today.
DMV officials encouraged customers to schedule advance appointments and use services available on the DMV’s Internet website at www.dmv.ca.gov
Motorists whose registration renewal date falls on a furlough day will have penalties waived until the next business day, officials said.
I can think of a lot of useless state give-aways he could terminate to save money without shutting down public services. Also, the DMV, like the USPS would probably do better if administered by private enterprises that actually make a profit from the businesses.
Boxer’s Greenbat Agenda and Inhofe’s Reaction
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Chair is Democratic California Senator Barbara Boxer; the ranking committee member is Republican Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe. Recently, Boxer put forth a list of “principles” to address “Global Warming.” Inhofe, as usual, answered Boxer’s crazy shopping list with some sensible remarks.
Typical of the contents of the Democratic Platform, Boxer and her committee Democrats put forth the following rambling, nebulous list of ‘principles:’
- To reduce emissions “to levels guided by science to avoid dangerous global warming” and to set targets that are “certain and enforceable,” as well as adjustable.
- To maintain state and local anti-warming efforts.
- To utilize a market-based system — that means cap-and-trade, as opposed to a carbon tax, which some economists favor to reduce emissions.
- To use proceeds from the sales of emissions permits for a variety of uses, including: support for consumers, governments, businesses and workers (presumably to help offset higher energy prices under the system); investments in alternative energy; preserving wildlife and ecosystems threatened by warming; and money for developing nations to help them respond to warming.
- To ensure a “level global playing field … so that countries contribute their fair share to the international effort to combat global warming.
Senator Inhofe responded with frankness and reality, in stark contrast to the vague list above:
“At a time when Congress is debating a near-term multi-billion-dollar bailout for the American economy, once again the Democrats are proposing principles for climate legislation that will impose a long-term multi-trillion-dollar energy tax on families and workers,” he said.
“As demonstrated last year, when it comes to drafting comprehensive climate legislation, the devil is in the details. These principles offer nothing more than a punt on all of the difficult issues that Americans expect to be honestly debated. Congressional cap-and-trade bills, often touted as an ‘insurance policy’ against global warming, would instead be nothing more than all economic pain for no climate gain. We look forward to debating these tough issues in the Committee this year.”
The emphasis above is mine.
911 Scam Alert – Be Aware of “SWATTING”
Every homeowner with firearms in the home may want to pay close attention to this – a new 911 scam that exploits a weakness in the internet telephone system has been sending first responders, usually S.W.A.T. teams, to random phony emergency calls. If this happens to you, be very careful what actions you take.
The scene below takes place after 10 PM in a suburban neighborhood. A homeowner and his family are awakened by loud sirens, footsteps and a helicopter orbiting above.
The family has been SWATTED.
Doug Bates got up to lock the doors and grabbed a knife. A beam from a flashlight hit him. He peeked into the backyard. A swarm of police, assault rifles drawn, ordered him out of the house. Bates emerged, frightened and with the knife in his hand, as his wife frantically dialed 911. They were handcuffed and ordered to the ground while officers stormed the house.
The scene of mayhem and carnage the officers expected was nowhere to be found. Neither the Bateses nor the officers knew that they were pawns in a dangerous game being played 1,200 miles away by a teenager bent on terrifying a random family of strangers.
Bates said that if he had responded with a gun that he feared he would have been shot.
With that in mind, if that ever happens in your neighborhood, keep it cool with the personal armed response. Remember, we keep our guns handy just in case of a 911 emergency where the police can’t respond in time, but NOT if they’ve surrounded your house.
Read the report “New 911 fraud is duping SWAT teams.”