Call Me Paranoid If You Want.... But At Least I'm Not Shot

We all like to think that we're *safe* when we are at home. We can kick back, relax, get nekkid, and just veg out on the couch watching Stupid Movie Saturday on the tube. Or we can crash in bed after working a long, tough twenty four hour shift.

Paramedic Pru thought she was safe at home on Thursday night, too. She lived in a "safe" part of town, where there had not been any "crime" to speak of in over twenty years. No break ins, no car theft, no shootings, no stabbings, no drug dealers on the corner.. nothing. In many ways, the neighborhood appeared to be a Haven.

Looks can be deceiving, folks.

Paramedic Pru was resting up, after her long shift. She heard the doorbell ring several times, and got up to answer it. Apparently, who ever was on the other side had no clue Pru was home, as he reflexively shot her- in the face- as he was fleeing. Lucky for Pru, the bullet went in one cheek, broke her jaw and took out all of her top teeth, and exited the other cheek.

Paramedic Pru will heal physically. She's tough as nails. Got balls made of titanium. But that did not stop some jagoff from shooting her.


Home invasion. Be aware folks. Don't get complacent. Don't "assume" that you are "safe" just because you live in a "safe" area. Look before you open the door. If you don't know who it is, back off and make a plan. Don't just open the door anymore. Have your phone in reach, in your hand, in a pocket, somewhere, and have your WITS about you. LISTEN to your gut. A gun in hand would not have saved Pru, unless she was willing to shoot first and ask questions later. (Which by the way-- Castle Doctrine would apply [in our state] had the Bad Guy broken into Pru's home. Then she sure could have smeared him all over Kingdom Come. KNOW YOUR STATE LAWS-- not just for carry-- but for home defense!)

So the next time someone sneers at me, and asks why I feel the need to carry, or if I'm a badass, or any of their other little snide remarks, my answer will be thus:
"Why? You got a problem with a woman who is ready, willing, and ABLE to defend herself using deadly force? Seems kind of odd to me- what are YOU planning?"

SA so you can CYA, y'all.
~MM

Just a little tip...

Boys, if you're gonna go into a gun shop and try to impress the people working there, please, please, please know the name of the gun you're trying to brag on.  Coming into the shop and bragging about how well you shoot your "Smith and Western" will get you plum laughed out of the shop.

Weapon Presentation (Test Video)

Dear Husband has agreed to be our teacher. This first video is a test, for me to learn how to accomplish this complicated task.

Do Your Magazines A Favor...

...clean them.

I spent a good hour today cleaning a gun I'd borrowed from a friend of mine.  With the help of one of the guys at the gun shop, I gave it a deep cleaning, which I'd never done before.

I love BoreSnakes - they are amazing for field cleaning your weapons at the end of the day.  Because I'd used the BoreSnake after I went shooting, the deep cleaning wasn't half as bad as it could have been.  The drawback to using a BoreSnake is that you have to have one for each caliber you shoot, but it works so well, I don't mind owning one per caliber.

In addition to cleaning my friend's gun, I tore apart his magazines and cleaned those, too.  Here's a big, BIG tip for magazines.  Don't over lubricate them and then drop them on the ground, as a lot of IPSC shooters do.  The oil attracts the dirt, which gums up the magazine spring and can cause feed problems.  And it's just plain gross.  One of the mags that I cleaned today had a furry black spring that looked like a coiled up caterpiller (I forgot to take pictures, I was so grossed out).

As long as you don't make a habit of dropping your magazines on the ground (one of my pet peeves, just put the damn thing in a pocket or back in the mag carrier), you shouldn't have to clean you magazines very often, but be sure to do it on a fairly regular basis.  The last thing you want is a preventable mis-feed in an emergency.

Ashinator and CJ's Shooting Tutorial

Wardrobe malfunction aside, there are a couple of things she and CJ did right...

Visually inspect the chamber.  Also, notice the eye and ear protection.  Sunglasses are not the best eye protection on the planet, but they are better than nothing.

Firm grip on the gun, snugged up into her shoulder. Though I'd like to see a bit more of the buttstock supported, considering the gun doesn't fit her at all, she should still be able to handle it.  I'd also like to see a bit wider, more stable stance and I'd like to see her lean into the shotgun a little more.

CJ's demostrating good form while waiting for his target to be released.  His gun's in the low ready position, finger (or booger hook, if you prefer) is not on the trigger, rather it's on the over-sized VangComp safety, which tells me he's engaging the safety after each round.  His eyes are forward and he's focused on the horizon where his clay pigeon will be released.

One Simple Truth

A crappy day at the range is still better than a bad day anywhere else.

Center Mass folks, and keep clear of the trigger until you are ready to kill it.

GunDiva Juniorette

I started my kids off pretty young with the shooting thing.  My thought at the time was that if I was going to carry 24/7, then they should be educated about guns and gun safety.  They've never been afraid of guns, because I've never given them any reason to be afraid.  They have a healthy respect for them, but no fear.

I started them with a Browning Buckmark .22 plinking cans.  They loved it.  But I didn't realize until Ashinator went shooting with her Uncle Deejo yesterday that I'd overlooked long guns with her and Monster.  I love long guns.  However, I never carried a long gun, always a pistol, so that's what I wanted them to know.

I had to do some serious un-teaching to get Digger to shoot a shotgun.  His father and his father's friends thought it would be a good idea to hand him a 12 guage shotgun and have him shoot it without any instruction as to how to hold the gun.  I knew that I had to address that issue, so Digger's the only one who's shot a shotgun (and the kid can't miss a clay pigeon).

Deejo changed that yesterday for Ashinator and she had a blast.  Not sure you'll be able to tell how much she had from the photo, though.

Oh yeah, she obviously didn't read the post on Proper Range Attire.  Lucky for her, it's a pump action shotgun that ejects out the side and not a semi-automatic pistol :)