Precision Shooter's Magazine

If you are a shooter odds are that you are following the never ending debate on the Second Amendment. Almost daily the NRA distributes Urgent Action Alerts about some impending doom legislation either state or Federal.  At the same time the anti gunners like Bloomberg and their sympathetic ultra Liberal news partners in the main stream media and publications like Huffington Post extol the virtues of a gun free USA.  The debate seems destined to continue ad infinitum.

The anti gunners continue to single out phrases like “well regulated militia” as justification for their inane argument that firearms ownership is restricted to formal defense organizations, not individuals.  They point out the violence of a shooting as just cause to do away with guns, melt them down and cleanse us of our evils.  Guns like AK47s, AR15s and just about anything with more than a one round capacity is portrayed as a military assault weapon with only one purpose, murder and mayhem.

Those of us who actively collect and shoot firearms see it quite differently. We enjoy the complexity of the machinery,  quality of workmanship, being outdoors target shooting or hunting, collecting guns like any other object d’ art and finally feeling secure in our own homes or armed on our person.  None of these include murder one, manslaughter, general mayhem or anything close to it. Indeed, as a group, we are generally the most law abiding of citizens.

For all the argument and heated rhetoric the Second Amendment is a very simple, one sentence statement…

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

When the Founding Fathers wrote the second amendment the world was, as the anti-gunners frequently point out, a very different place. Most of the US population lived in very rural, untamed areas,  much of it wilderness. There were threats from Indians, wild predatory animals, bandits, foreign invaders and wars to fight. Our country was still new and unsettled and many had to hunt for food to survive and defending themselves alone, in the wild, was obligatory. There was no 911 to call. Indeed, a short horseback ride for supplies could be deadly and in many cases your long rifle or flintlock pistol was your only link to survival and best ally. Today we do not have many of those threats and most of us shop for food at a chain store. If we get in trouble we dial 911 and hope help arrives in time. So we no longer need personal weapons, right?

For those that actually have studied the meaning of the Second Amendment it is clear, without question and concise in it’s language and meaning. To arrive there however, you need to have read everything one can regarding the United States Constitution and the amendments as well as the writings of those involved in it’s creation. The subtleties of the language used in the time it was written are only understood by understanding the definitions of the wording in the 18th Century and by the writings of those authors that conceived them. Once you do it becomes clear that the Founders anticipated the disputes and deliberately crafted the Second Amendment and Constitution so that it did not require independent interpretation once the the proper references were applied for the time.

So, why all the discussion, court cases, Supreme Court rulings and lawsuits? It’s nothing more than two differing opinions by two opposing groups, both wanting to be right. It’s a sign of the times we live in, of a increasingly litigious society, pious in it’s individual beliefs, willing to snuff out the will of the other for it’s own sake. It’s an ever burdensome central government that wishes, at it’s will, to impose whatever degradations of freedom it feels inclined as long it is to their benefit. It’s the state and like thinkers that wish to control the populace no matter what it takes. The end justifies the means including the desecration of the US Constitution itself.

The Second Amendment was not written off hand as a casual footnote. It is much a warning as a ruling. While Franklin, Jefferson, Washington and others could not anticipate the language of the future, they surely knew it would evolve, hence the need to study our history to see our the future. They could however anticipate a return to oppression from a bloated central government and hungry power brokers.  They separated the powers of the central government from those of the states and the individual’s right to free speech in the First and Tenth Amendments,  and the need to possibly defend our right to all God given freedoms with the Second Amendment from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

As this is written we are at war on fronts all around the world, we are being invaded daily by foreigners illegally crossing our borders and murdering our people, terrorists threaten to exterminate all “non believers” and our central government has become more oppressive and determined to disarms us than ever.  Will we need to actively defend ourselves from these threats in our own homes? Hopefully we will not. Hopefully we will achieve a balance to the Republic through political expression rather than violence and defeat our foes before they strike again. The question is as always. Would you rather have a gun and not need it or need one and not have it?

Every American must defend our Constitution and our right to keep and bear arms just as our Founding Fathers intended or there could come a time when the choice will no longer be ours.  JDF

The shirt says it all…

Cool New Sniper T-Shirt…

To coincide with the introduction of it’s new 1911 pistol Remington has begun to produce some tools and accessories for it.  Along with some grips and other goodies they have introduced their own 1911 specific multi-tool.  As with everything Remington does this new piece of gear is a very well thought out product. The quality is evident with nice fit and finish as well as non multi-tool traditional G10 grips.  The tool includes barrel bushing wrenches for both full size and Commander size guns to add versatility as well as a mainspring housing punch and 5 piece screwdriver bit set.  You also get more standard tools such as lockback 8Cr13MoV steel drop/serrated blade and a bottle opener, can opener and file. All of this is done in an attractive durable black oxide finish and comes with a nice black molle compatible case.  At a street price under $50 the Remington 1911 multi-tool compares favorably with other tools on the market not as useful on a 1911 pistol. We are keeping ours and recommend it as a must have.  All we need now is for our new Remington 1911 to get here… JB

I have always been a firm believer that if you are going to do anything you should do it right. When I decided to make a 1911 my primary carry weapon for the mean streets it came with the realization that I needed to be proficient with a 1911 or not carry it. Most armed confrontations take place in very close proximity to your opponent and are over in a few seconds.  With a conventional pistol or revolver that’s a short period of time to draw, aim and fire. With a 1911 it’s a complicated scenario that you don’t want to be fumbling with when you need it. The only useful way to carry a 1911 is in “condition one” which is a round in the chamber, a full magazine, hammer cocked and the thumb safety on.  While this may seem unsafe to some, you need to understand that in the heat of battle the idea that you are going to have time to rack a round into the chamber and be combat effective could cost you your life.  You need to draw, release the thumb safety, maintain a proper grip, aim and fire, hopefully in 2 seconds or less. That’s a lot to do under stress.

Enter Sig Academy. They have what they call a “1911 Operator” course that is meant for intermediate shooters wanting to achieve “operator” capability with a 1911. It a fairly intense, no nonsense course. They cover many situations you might encounter in an armed confrontation in every day life. Also included are practical safety and maintenance reviews but the bulk of the training is done on the range and you shoot all day. Covered in the instruction are tactical drills covering admin reload, proper draw, clearing jams, multiple adversaries, shooting multiple targets while moving, shooting while backing up and threat assessment.

The Epping New Hampshire facility is top notch and set in the beautiful New Hampshire countryside. The instructors are from law enforcement, government or military backrounds and  totally professional and don’t miss a beat. They watch your every move and are very helpful when you make a mistake. I learned more in one day than I could have learned on my own in any period of time because much of the instruction was on areas I would not have thought to cover as a layman. It was actually a perfect balance of useful operations without being overwhelming. No egomaniacs with tats and stories, just good solid training. Everything you need, nothing you don’t.

I’ve been shooting for over 30 years and thought I knew how to shoot but the 1911 in rapid combat is a whole new animal.  It adds additional steps to using it properly in combat and even unloading requires more thought. The latest must have fad is the 1911 for shooting everything  from tin cans to carrying for self defense. Everybody wants one.  Bottom line, if you are contemplating using a 1911 as your primary carry weapon you had better either have had professional training or you need to get some before the time comes when you need it to save your life or the lives of loved ones. If not you are much better off with a conventional semi-auto pistol.  I chose Sig Sauer for obvious reasons. They are a major firearms manufacturer with a professional facility and a highly trained group of instructors. I wasn’t disappointed. I came home with a wealth of information and drills to practice as well as an increased sense of confidence in my decision to carry a 1911.

You can visit the Sig Academy to check all the many courses offered at the link below. I’ll be back up there in September to further my instruction.  Good luck and stay safe.

Sig Sauer Academy

Cheers, DJ

It seems as though in no small part history repeats itself.  In the years leading up to 1798 Thomas Jefferson needed a way to hold back the Federalist policies that he felt were un-Constitutional (Alien and Sedition Acts). The problem was that the Republicans were in the minority. The solution, revert to the Constitution and states rights as they pertain to the control of a central government.  To that end he wrote what are known as The Kentucky Resolutions. Part 1 of which follows. The complete text can be found here: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Kentucky_Resolutions_of_1798 . This could obviously be applied today.

Resolved, That the several states composing the United States of America are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their general government; but that, by compact, under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States, and of amendments thereto, they constituted a general government for special purposes, delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving, each state to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self-government; and that whensoever the general government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force; that to this compact each state acceded as a state, and is an integral party; that this government, created by this compact, was not made the exclusive or final judge of the extent of the powers delegated to itself, since that would have made its discretion, and not the Constitution, the measure of its powers; but that, as in all other cases of compact among powers having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress…