by permission from Stephen P. Wenger
http://www.spw-duf.info
comments in () by Stephen P. Wenger
And Now, a Word from Our Sponsor: As we enter the holiday season, you may wish to consider autographed copies of my book Defensive Use of Firearms as gifts. The revised and updated edition, released earlier this year, was actually reduced in price to $12.00. One or two copies ship to the same address for $4.75; three to five copies ship to the same address for $4.85 – Priority Mail in both cases. The normal inscription is:
http://www.spw-duf.info/book.html
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Will 2011 Bring Lawful Discreet Carry to Wisconsin?: The economy will dominate the state's next legislative session, but other issues - such as requiring voters to show ID at the polls and allowing people to carry concealed guns - will also get increased attention with Republicans controlling all of state government. Republicans are unanimous in saying their top goals are creating jobs and righting the state budget, but acknowledge there is broad support among them for the bills on voter ID and concealed weapons… Republicans have passed the bills on concealed weapons and voter ID before, but Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed them. Doyle didn't run for re-election, and Republican Governor-elect Scott Walker supports both measures… Wisconsin and Illinois are the only two states that don't allow people to carry concealed guns, and changing Wisconsin's law is a top priority for gun rights activists. Doyle twice vetoed bills allowing carrying concealed weapons, and an effort to override the vetoes narrowly failed. Republicans wrote those bills in a way to get as much support as they could in an effort to get the two-thirds majority needed for an override. Now, they will need just a simple majority because Walker backs the right to carry concealed guns. That could mean the next bill will include fewer restrictions than in the past on where guns can be carried…
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/110917109.html
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Meanwhile, in New Hampshire…: Right now, the person sitting next to you in the book store or walking past you in the bank lobby or eating lunch at the next table could be carrying a concealed pistol. And doing so legally. And you'd never know it or be affected by it. And that's fine, say the advocates of New Hampshire statutes that allow law-abiding people to carry concealed pistols provided they have obtained a license to do so. Sam Cohen is the executive vice president of Pro-Gun New Hampshire, a firearms and Second Amendment advocacy group. In Cohen's opinion, "more and more people are starting to see that guns are not the evil things that some make them out to be." "More and more women are applying for concealed carry licenses, and that's a good thing,'' Cohen added. "But it's really a cross-section of people: old people, young people, people from all walks of life." The town of Raymond, as one example, has issued 58 concealed carry permits since July 1 to people ranging from 26 to 73 years old, according to Sgt. David Spinney, who said the department's chief, David Salois, handles the permit process. In Lancaster, a North Country town of about 3,300 people, Police Chief John Gardiner said he issues about 50 concealed-carry licenses a year… (I don't know where these "correspondents" moved from but New Hampshire has had shall-issue licensing for discreet carry – unlike its neighbor Vermont, which does not require a license – since long before the "CCW reform movement," started in Florida in 1987.)
http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Backers%3a+Concealed+carry+finding+favor&articleId=bf5dac7a-5841-4244-9802-f2d1e7b8cb41
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Hardening the Target, Part 1: …I will assume that those of you who are reading this that have had firearms instruction or combat training have heard of the effects that a spontaneous, unexpected threat stimulus has on the body. And I'm sure that we all were taught and all agree that one of the effects is that our fine motor skills go to heck in a hand basket in a high stress environment. In addition to tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, increased heart rate, the adrenaline and cortisol hormone cocktail totally negate your ability to execute fine motor skills in a gross motor skills environment. It is often described as wearing gloves or oven mitts. We've all been taught that. We all agree on that, right? Tell that to a Fight Pilot. Here you have an individual flying at Mach II in the cockpit of a $55 million dollar machine, 20,000 feet in the air, directing flight control over a bank of controls and instruments, both heads up displays and dash mounted, in charge of fire control, cognizant of the rest of his squadron and in contact with them, tracking radar both for position and possible enemy birds or radar lock on his position. In addition the pilot is following his mission directives and reporting status back to command. That is a pretty high stress environment if you ask me. And it sounds like the pilot is using some pretty fine motor skills… (Part of the problem with the overemphasis on adrenaline [epinephrine] and cortisol is that the arguments are often made by people who lack formal training in physiology. Very briefly, these are, respectively, short-acting and long-acting enhancers of reactions in the brain. If the brain does not shift into fright mode, they will not be "dumped" into the bloodstream. At that, epinephrine in the blood does not get into the brain to any significant degree and the brain effects of cortisol are the most likely explanation for the "adrenaline junkie" syndrome.)
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39983
Hardening the Target, Part 2: was working at one time with the Federal Air Marshals and was asked to give a training evaluation and proposal to them. The cadre that I was working with had recently completed a training evolution with a well known tactical instruction group that sold "state of the art reality based training," as their premise. The Marshals described their experience with the group and they were duly impressed with the instruction. I listened patiently and then simply asked, "How much time did you spend punching the heavy bag while sitting in a chair?" None. I then followed with "How much time did you spend fighting an attacker out of a seated position? How much time did you spend fighting 2, 3 or 4 guys off from a seated position? Did you spend any time trying to fight with a blanket thrown over your head?" The reply was, "But we learned a lot of good takedowns, control holds and wrist locks." … (Many list members do not view themselves as "warriors" but this article is worth reading, if only to assess what sort of training is realistic for you.)
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=40074
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Tangentially Related: In 2005, leaders in Portland, Oregon, angry at the Bush administration's conduct of the war on terror, voted not to allow city law enforcement officers to participate in a key anti-terror initiative, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. On Friday, that task force helped prevent what could have been a horrific terrorist attack in Portland. Now city officials say they might re-think their participation in the task force – because Barack Obama is in the White House… What is ironic is that the operation that found and stopped Mohamud is precisely the kind of law enforcement work that Portland's leaders, working with the American Civil Liberties Union, rejected during the Bush years. In April 2005, the Portland city council voted 4 to 1 to withdraw Portland city police officers from participating in the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Mayor Tom Potter said the FBI refused to give him a top-secret security clearance so he could make sure the officers weren't violating state anti-discrimination laws that bar law enforcement from targeting suspects on the basis of their religious or political beliefs. Other city leaders agreed. "Here in Portland, we are not willing to give up individual liberties in order to have a perception of safety," said city commissioner Randy Leonard. "It's important for cities to know how their police officers are being used." … (Yet the same political correctness is preparing to infringe the individual liberty to keep and bears arms in order to have a perception of safety.)
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2010/11/politically-correct-portland-rejected-feds-who-saved-city-terrori
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Advocates for giving the District full voting rights in the House brimmed with confidence four years ago as the Democratic takeover of Congress seemed to move their long-standing goal closer to reality. Two years later, when President Obama was elected, that confidence turned to near-certainty. "I really can't think of a scenario by which we could fail," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said in November 2008. Yet fail they did. House leaders decided this year to pull a voting rights bill from the floor rather than have it coupled with a measure to weaken the District's gun laws. Now, with Republicans set to take over the House in January, the window to move a voting rights bill appears to have closed, and glum supporters are wondering what - if anything - to do next… As he has before, Chaffetz said that he thinks granting full voting rights to the District would be unconstitutional and that he would rather have the District retain its current status than adopt Norton's proposals. "There are other options," Chaffetz said, suggesting - as other congressional Republicans have - that the District undergo "retrocession" to Maryland. He acknowledged that he did not know exactly how such a process would work or whether Maryland would want to take over the District…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/27/AR2010112703213.html?hpid=newswell&sid=ST2009040102238
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To [name furnished],If you would like something more specific, including the date, for the recipients, I suggest you use the option of mailing me a check with the detailed instructions.
Stay free, be safe.
S P Wenger
[date purchased]
http://www.spw-duf.info/book.html
---
Will 2011 Bring Lawful Discreet Carry to Wisconsin?: The economy will dominate the state's next legislative session, but other issues - such as requiring voters to show ID at the polls and allowing people to carry concealed guns - will also get increased attention with Republicans controlling all of state government. Republicans are unanimous in saying their top goals are creating jobs and righting the state budget, but acknowledge there is broad support among them for the bills on voter ID and concealed weapons… Republicans have passed the bills on concealed weapons and voter ID before, but Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed them. Doyle didn't run for re-election, and Republican Governor-elect Scott Walker supports both measures… Wisconsin and Illinois are the only two states that don't allow people to carry concealed guns, and changing Wisconsin's law is a top priority for gun rights activists. Doyle twice vetoed bills allowing carrying concealed weapons, and an effort to override the vetoes narrowly failed. Republicans wrote those bills in a way to get as much support as they could in an effort to get the two-thirds majority needed for an override. Now, they will need just a simple majority because Walker backs the right to carry concealed guns. That could mean the next bill will include fewer restrictions than in the past on where guns can be carried…
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/110917109.html
---
Meanwhile, in New Hampshire…: Right now, the person sitting next to you in the book store or walking past you in the bank lobby or eating lunch at the next table could be carrying a concealed pistol. And doing so legally. And you'd never know it or be affected by it. And that's fine, say the advocates of New Hampshire statutes that allow law-abiding people to carry concealed pistols provided they have obtained a license to do so. Sam Cohen is the executive vice president of Pro-Gun New Hampshire, a firearms and Second Amendment advocacy group. In Cohen's opinion, "more and more people are starting to see that guns are not the evil things that some make them out to be." "More and more women are applying for concealed carry licenses, and that's a good thing,'' Cohen added. "But it's really a cross-section of people: old people, young people, people from all walks of life." The town of Raymond, as one example, has issued 58 concealed carry permits since July 1 to people ranging from 26 to 73 years old, according to Sgt. David Spinney, who said the department's chief, David Salois, handles the permit process. In Lancaster, a North Country town of about 3,300 people, Police Chief John Gardiner said he issues about 50 concealed-carry licenses a year… (I don't know where these "correspondents" moved from but New Hampshire has had shall-issue licensing for discreet carry – unlike its neighbor Vermont, which does not require a license – since long before the "CCW reform movement," started in Florida in 1987.)
http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Backers%3a+Concealed+carry+finding+favor&articleId=bf5dac7a-5841-4244-9802-f2d1e7b8cb41
---
Hardening the Target, Part 1: …I will assume that those of you who are reading this that have had firearms instruction or combat training have heard of the effects that a spontaneous, unexpected threat stimulus has on the body. And I'm sure that we all were taught and all agree that one of the effects is that our fine motor skills go to heck in a hand basket in a high stress environment. In addition to tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, increased heart rate, the adrenaline and cortisol hormone cocktail totally negate your ability to execute fine motor skills in a gross motor skills environment. It is often described as wearing gloves or oven mitts. We've all been taught that. We all agree on that, right? Tell that to a Fight Pilot. Here you have an individual flying at Mach II in the cockpit of a $55 million dollar machine, 20,000 feet in the air, directing flight control over a bank of controls and instruments, both heads up displays and dash mounted, in charge of fire control, cognizant of the rest of his squadron and in contact with them, tracking radar both for position and possible enemy birds or radar lock on his position. In addition the pilot is following his mission directives and reporting status back to command. That is a pretty high stress environment if you ask me. And it sounds like the pilot is using some pretty fine motor skills… (Part of the problem with the overemphasis on adrenaline [epinephrine] and cortisol is that the arguments are often made by people who lack formal training in physiology. Very briefly, these are, respectively, short-acting and long-acting enhancers of reactions in the brain. If the brain does not shift into fright mode, they will not be "dumped" into the bloodstream. At that, epinephrine in the blood does not get into the brain to any significant degree and the brain effects of cortisol are the most likely explanation for the "adrenaline junkie" syndrome.)
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39983
Hardening the Target, Part 2: was working at one time with the Federal Air Marshals and was asked to give a training evaluation and proposal to them. The cadre that I was working with had recently completed a training evolution with a well known tactical instruction group that sold "state of the art reality based training," as their premise. The Marshals described their experience with the group and they were duly impressed with the instruction. I listened patiently and then simply asked, "How much time did you spend punching the heavy bag while sitting in a chair?" None. I then followed with "How much time did you spend fighting an attacker out of a seated position? How much time did you spend fighting 2, 3 or 4 guys off from a seated position? Did you spend any time trying to fight with a blanket thrown over your head?" The reply was, "But we learned a lot of good takedowns, control holds and wrist locks." … (Many list members do not view themselves as "warriors" but this article is worth reading, if only to assess what sort of training is realistic for you.)
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=40074
---
Tangentially Related: In 2005, leaders in Portland, Oregon, angry at the Bush administration's conduct of the war on terror, voted not to allow city law enforcement officers to participate in a key anti-terror initiative, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. On Friday, that task force helped prevent what could have been a horrific terrorist attack in Portland. Now city officials say they might re-think their participation in the task force – because Barack Obama is in the White House… What is ironic is that the operation that found and stopped Mohamud is precisely the kind of law enforcement work that Portland's leaders, working with the American Civil Liberties Union, rejected during the Bush years. In April 2005, the Portland city council voted 4 to 1 to withdraw Portland city police officers from participating in the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Mayor Tom Potter said the FBI refused to give him a top-secret security clearance so he could make sure the officers weren't violating state anti-discrimination laws that bar law enforcement from targeting suspects on the basis of their religious or political beliefs. Other city leaders agreed. "Here in Portland, we are not willing to give up individual liberties in order to have a perception of safety," said city commissioner Randy Leonard. "It's important for cities to know how their police officers are being used." … (Yet the same political correctness is preparing to infringe the individual liberty to keep and bears arms in order to have a perception of safety.)
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2010/11/politically-correct-portland-rejected-feds-who-saved-city-terrori
---
Advocates for giving the District full voting rights in the House brimmed with confidence four years ago as the Democratic takeover of Congress seemed to move their long-standing goal closer to reality. Two years later, when President Obama was elected, that confidence turned to near-certainty. "I really can't think of a scenario by which we could fail," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said in November 2008. Yet fail they did. House leaders decided this year to pull a voting rights bill from the floor rather than have it coupled with a measure to weaken the District's gun laws. Now, with Republicans set to take over the House in January, the window to move a voting rights bill appears to have closed, and glum supporters are wondering what - if anything - to do next… As he has before, Chaffetz said that he thinks granting full voting rights to the District would be unconstitutional and that he would rather have the District retain its current status than adopt Norton's proposals. "There are other options," Chaffetz said, suggesting - as other congressional Republicans have - that the District undergo "retrocession" to Maryland. He acknowledged that he did not know exactly how such a process would work or whether Maryland would want to take over the District…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/27/AR2010112703213.html?hpid=newswell&sid=ST2009040102238
---
