Accidental firearms discharges

Tonight, CNBC is doing a piece of the Remington 700 rifle. There are allegations that it is unsafe. If that is the case, I just wonder how Remington could have avoided serious legal judgments over the years. Anyway, the truth will eventually come out.

Closer to home, a Knox County jailer is reported by the Knoxville News-Sentinel to have accidentally shot a friend in the hip. The story goes like this. The friend didn't like guns, the jailer attempted to clear his gun in the confines of the back seat, and fired the gun, striking the friend in the front seat.
The friend was treated and released.

The jailer is now back at work, but can never be a bonded deputy in Knox County.

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You will have an accidental discharge!

said Bob W, my instructor when I got the mandatory training for the Tennessee handgun carry permit. I had been shooting for nigh on forty years when I took that class, but had yet to have the dreaded accidental discharge (AD). But, my time was coming.

It was several years after that, and I had finished a session at the range. I cleared the ancient Ruger pistol, and pointed it at the ground in front of me, downrange. I pulled the trigger to drop the hammer, and instead of hearing a click, I heard a BANG!

Bob was right. I had now had my AD. Eventually, my heart slowed down, and I learned a lesson.

This jailer's event reminds us that we should never deviate from Cooper's* four fundamental rules of gun safety:

1. All firearms are always loaded.
2.  Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger unless your sights are on the target.
4.  Be sure of your target and what is behind it.

It appears from the newspaper reports that he violated rule two, and maybe rule three. But, not to add to his misery, we should all take a lesson from his experience. You see, we are all by virtue of being human, imperfect. So, if we faithfully attempt to follow all four, there is some redundancy built in . . .  and if we miss one, the other three may keep us from a regretful experience.

Another lesson, too - If you have a friend that dislikes guns so much that they want you to disarm, maybe you should find new friends.

*For more info: Jeff Cooper

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Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

Wisconsin knife decision affirms Second Amendment

Last week, Circuit Court Judge Jon M. Counsell ruled that the Wisconsin statute that bans concealed carry of a weapon, sec. 941.23 -

...is unconstitutional on its face as overly broad in violation of the Second and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.

This ruling was made in the case of a person arrested for having a knife under his shirt. The judge did not limit his decision to knives, but included firearms, as well. You can read the original PDF of the ruling HERE.

This is the second such thing to have come out of Wisconsin recently, the first being a decision by Wisconsin DA Gerald R Fox that he will not prosecute certain gun cases. You can read my previous column on that decision HERE.

Counsell states that people in Wisconsin

...are faced with a Hobson’s choice—go unarmed (thus not able to act in self defense), violate the law (and risk jail/fines) or (as some would argue) carry openly.

Of note to those of us in Tennessee, if you don't have a (costly) Handgun Carry Permit issued by or recognized by the State of Tennessee, you have one less choice than the Cheeseheads - go unarmed or violate the law. A Hobson's choice indeed!

Worthy of note is the fact that Open Carry (OC) is legal in Wisconsin, but citizens find themselves being prosecuted for disorderly conduct for doing so, as reported HERE.

Remember, the Second Amendment is not about duck hunting; and it is not just about guns.

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Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

Bring home the M1's

The State Department has banned the return of M-1 Garand's and M-1 Carbines from Korea. These guns were sold (given?) to Korea years ago to provide them with infantry weapons, as we upgraded our infantry arsenal with the M-14 and M-16.

M-1 Garand Images from CMP website

Now, Korea is seeking to sell these to U.S. collectors and shooters, to provide funding for upgrading their arsenals. But the State Department is attempting to block the return of these war heroes' weapons to their homeland.

According to Fox News, a State Department spokesperson said:

The transfer of such a large number of weapons -- 87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 Carbines -- could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes,"

This statement just doesn't ring true, considering that retail purchasers of these rifles and carbines would have to go through the same FBI background check (or a state alternative) as a person who purchases one of these rifles now from the Federal inventory, at the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

So on the one hand, State says, "Bad, we can't import," and on the other hand, CMP has been delivering them to Knoxville citizens' doors for decades.

You can read more about the congressional attempt to alter this course of action by Hillary Clinton's forces HERE. Don't forget, it is Clinton's party that brought us the Goldilocks gun ban in 1994, as well as other laws that limit citizens' right to keep and bear arms; while doing nothing to effectively eliminate crime.

Remember this when you vote in 22 days.

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If you find this article to be informative or interesting, please share the link with your friends. Feel free to share the entire article, including this link back: http://goodhillpress.blogspot.com/

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Save ten bucks. Join NRA or renew here for only $25.00.

Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

The Book of Two Guns

Learning to use a firearm effectively requires time and training. There are many good schools, such as Gunsite in Arizona, Thunder Ranch in Oregon, and classes taught everywhere by Massad Ayoob. Closer home to Tennessee, just down in Langston, Alabama, is Shootrite Firearms Academy, run by Tiger McKee.


Tiger teaches a variety of courses, including handgun, carbine, and precision rifle; and will also customize courses to his students' needs. He teaches everything from NRA basic courses to advanced techniques with the firearms.

Now, suppose you are interested in Tiger's teaching, but can't yet make the trip to Alabama, then you should get his book, The Book of Two Guns. I just finished reading this unique, excellent book.

Unique in that it is all hand written, and full of sketches.

Excellent in that it covers many techniques that can save your life in a lethal encounter.

• Did you ever wonder how to pie a corner? Tiger tells you how. 
• What if your strong hand is injured, and you need to draw from your right side with your left hand? Tiger tells you how.

Illustration from Shootrite website

You can hear Tiger in interviews with Tom Gresham on Guntalk HERE. And The Book of Two Guns is available at Amazon by clicking HERE.

Nothing substitutes for training with a real live instructor, but you can still learn a lot by reading and practicing the techniques taught in this book.

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If you find this article to be informative or interesting, please share the link with your friends. Feel free to share the entire article, including this link back: http://goodhillpress.blogspot.com/

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Save ten bucks. Join NRA or renew here for only $25.00.

Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

Train like you fight

It seems like a great idea to me. Check it out at Death Valley Magazine.

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If you find this article to be informative or interesting, please share the link with your friends. Feel free to share the entire article, including this link back: http://goodhillpress.blogspot.com/

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Save ten bucks. Join NRA or renew here for only $25.00.

Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

Regions Bank gun ban?

I see now in an email from Suzanne Burghardt of Regions that Regions Bank is banning guns on their premisis. What does this mean to lawful permit holders?

If you go into their banks while carrying your sidearm, you are no longer lawful. Instant criminal!

So, I will stay away from Regions. If you have an account with them, then consider carefully whether or not you want to continue to do business with them. Changing banks is a pain, but continuing to go into a gun free zone could prove to be foolish.

Now, there is a bank in Texas that welcomes folks with carry permits.

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If you find this article to be informative or interesting, please share the link with your friends. Feel free to share the entire article, including this link back: http://goodhillpress.blogspot.com/

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Save ten bucks. Join NRA or renew here for only $25.00.

Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.