Fin the Equalizer!!

[carvedog]

Well done Fin. **** letting those guys get away. We certainly don't want the price of bindings going up because some sticky-fingered-****-for-brains decides to take your stuff.

I prolly would have winged him just to make a point.

I used to have a Ford Van that I proudly sported an NRA sticker on one back window and my Grateful Dead dancing bears sticker on the other. That made a few people scratch their heads for sure.

sunsurfer - don't mind us rednecks. Many of us have grown up around guns and don't consider them any more lethal than electricity. Always to be respected for sure.

There is a quite a mental checklist that I go through when handling a weapon for sport or hunting that precludes any accidents. I can't speak for Fin but all indications are that he is one of the more reasonable humans that I have encountered and would suspect he has his own protocol.

As mentioned not speaking for Fin but I imagine that he might not have even pointed his weapon at the thief.

For me this would be something like this.

Dog identifies problem.

Visual check confirms nature of problem.

Unlock gun from case.

Retrieve magazine from separate storage.

Confirm safety on, chamber a round.

Think about putting on shirt. Decide against it - not that cold.

Hotfoot it to thiefs escape route area.

Hail thief to cease, desist and lay down with weapon at the ready

( ie weapon ready in front of body barrel pointing skyward ). Depending on your threat level assessment maybe do this with the gun more pointed in the direction of the thief to be prepared. Since he was carrying a pair of ?50 lb bags of aluminum he was not an immediate threat requiring say pointing the weapon at his head. IMHO.

For me the only way this would go to target acquisition would be if the thief did something stupid like pull out a weapon and prepare to charge and/or fire.

If thief brandishes knife and/or prepares to attack it is time to indicate locked and loaded status of my weapon and admonish them to surrender.

Safety off. Time for a warning shot in the dirt, followed by a foot or leg shot if possible.

If thief brandishes a firearm then it would be time to apply lethal or debilitating force.

If thief refuses to lay down and instead runs away then he would get away if it was me.

So it's not quite like the Wild West - "I got a gun, let's shoot somethin'"

My two cents. Actually looks more like a half dollars worth. Don't forget to adjust for inflation.

[Fastskiguy]

Dog identifies problem.

Just wanna throw some props out to the dog in this case! Way to go!

[Skully]

Just wanna throw some props out to the dog in this case! Way to go!

Yeah, What the WTF is up with you's guy's dogs?

My Dog would be slobbering all over the thief, and helping him haul the stolen schwag to his car / wherever it is going! (All the while trying to get the thief to chuck a tennis ball...)

(Way to go Fin BTW..)

(And, as always, this thread is worthless without pics...)

[Dr D]

my dog only barks when something is hinky! or when his dinner is late :lol:

seriously he has a whole different take on life when things aren't quite looking kosher. He'll let me know then go ask the thief to chuck his ball after checking pockets for treats. Equal opportunity pooch:eplus2:

I don't think he would harm anyone unless I was getting the hell beat out of me and then I am not sure he would intervene particularly if the guy gave him a treat first. I will just have to trust the good folks from Kimber arms to get my back!

[Dr D]

This whole conversation and its yearly reappearance make me think we need a quiver thread in the off topic section to show off our arsenals.:lol:

Probably need a health warning for you easterners wouldn't want to cause any heart attacks.

[Dr D]

:eplus2:

[durace]

Watch it with the you Easterners... :D Live Free or Die

So have you started the "Show us your Gun" thread yet?

I dont know about Diversity in that pic I don't see as Clint Smith would call it

"one of those things you carry so you can get to your guns".

Paul

[b0ardski]

:AR15firinDefinately some overlap in your quiver there D;)

[Helmut Karvlow]

I used to shoot anything that moved im my back yard.. Half the fun is the kick and actually seeing if you could hit it the dammm thing (306)... Love the beginning of the movie The Shooter with Marky Mark...

"Theres only two that I know that can make that shot...ones dead and the other one they tried to bury in the desert" how do I know... I still got the shovel... or something like that.

RSS

Things Shred has killed;

the teddi bear from his x with a 45 long barrel chrome revolver all 6 shots.

a jib-bonk snow board with a 12 gauge with magnum shells

oakley sun glasses with same shot gun.

thousand of frogs with a 357. late at night with a flashlite.

Shred, I need help with the rest. my brain is old and I drank out of alot of aluminum cans in my life:freak3:

[Jack M]

Hail thief to cease, desist and lay down with weapon at the ready

( ie weapon ready in front of body barrel pointing skyward ). Depending on your threat level assessment maybe do this with the gun more pointed in the direction of the thief to be prepared. Since he was carrying a pair of ?50 lb bags of aluminum he was not an immediate threat requiring say pointing the weapon at his head. IMHO.

For me the only way this would go to target acquisition would be if the thief did something stupid like pull out a weapon and prepare to charge and/or fire.

Interesting. If the safety is on, why not aim at the perp? That would increase intimidation and reduce the chances of him going for a weapon, no? Also it would save you a step and eliminate some delay if he were to draw.

[durace]

It's the first rule:

Never point a weapon at anything you don't intend to destroy.

At that point it isn't needed.

[Dr D]

It's the first rule:

Never point a weapon at anything you don't intend to destroy.

At that point it isn't needed.

safety first:biggthump

[Dr D]

:biggthumpkids learn that at age 12 here. don't put your finger in the trigger guard until you are pointed at the target either. most of us have practiced to the point that there isn't a significant time delay from ready arms to ready aim fire.

and we don't need automatics either one shot one kill less muss and less fuss

no collateral damage with one round well placed

[scrapster]

"It's the first rule:

Never point a weapon at anything you don't intend to destroy.

At that point it isn't needed."

Learned that one the hard way from a Vietnam vet who destroyed my last cap gun when I was about ten years old. Made quite a lasting impression.

I also think the east /west thing is pretty overblown. Lots of gun owners out this way, rural and urban. Though for some reason ownership just seems to be a less prominent part of the overall culture in the north east and mid-Atlantic. (Probably many reasons actually-- cultural backgrounds, loss of hunting areas, restrictions, proximity to emergency response, etc.) While I know some vociferous gun owners, I know many more who would have to think twice if you asked them where there weapons even were--which of course poses its own hazards.

Good story out of Harlem this week about a 72 year old man killing two, and wounding two armed robbers who broke into his store and started pistol whipping an employee. Looks like he's being treated just how most reasonable people would hope he'd be treated--with respect, and that any penalties for not registering his shotgun when he bought it 30 years ago will minimal, and treated separately from the incident itself.

Anyway, always a fascinating topic from all angles, from technical and legal to sociological.

[durace]

I don't think there is an east/west in gun ownersip I think Dr.D was referencing the fact that the "opponents" to the thread were from our coast... Not a fair representation of how things are here since there are more "Rod and Bottles" in NH than post offices.:D

[Dr D]

I am a big fan of the whole "live free or die thing" its all in good humor. some of my favorite gun buddies are from west virginia which is east enough as far as I am concerned. I went to grad school in SC which is pretty gun toting and redneck. ITs still on a whole different level here.

I think it has more to do with rural living (its over 100miles to the next town of any size) Montana takes 10 or 11 hours of driving to get all the way across. you can drive 300 miles without seeing anything manmade other than a fencepost in some places. We have to rely on ourselves. the thought of relying on govt is a joke here.

[Dr D]

Being forced to rely on govt is unthinkable for most of us!

[carvedog]

Interesting. If the safety is on, why not aim at the perp? That would increase intimidation and reduce the chances of him going for a weapon, no? Also it would save you a step and eliminate some delay if he were to draw.

Others responded well. I didn't see this until just now.

Once I have chambered a round, I consider anything in front of the barrel dead or ready to be. Safety on or not. Once you point it at something you better be ready to kill right then.

I have never pointed a gun at a human being. Hope I never have to.

[PolyMathMan]

Did you have any trouble getting your weapon back? Did they take it, or just leave it with you?

[Jack M]

Once you point it at something you better be ready to kill right then.

I don't understand why...? Maybe I watch too much CSI.

[durace]

Because that is what a gun is for. If the intent is to threaten someone bring a bat. It has more than one purpose, a gun does not.

For people that take shooting sports seriously there is a set of rules that are followed. Guns are not toys and any mistake can have a huge impact on many lives. A safety is like a seat belt or a helmet it is a mechanical device that can fail. People involved in shooting sports understand the possible outcome of a loaded weapon.

Just my 2 cents.

Paul

[NateW]

Am I the only one to whom the post above seems like a pretentious non-answer? Let me try:

I don't understand why...?

Because accidents happen, especially under stress. If you aim at someone to "intimidate," and you flinch (suppose it startles you when he drops everything, or turns to run away) then you may be in the position of having shot someone without legal justification.

[TheTruth]

Because that is what a gun is for. If the intent is to threaten someone bring a bat. It has more than one purpose, a gun does not.

For people that take shooting sports seriously there is a set of rules that are followed. Guns are not toys and any mistake can have a huge impact on many lives. A safety is like a seat belt or a helmet it is a mechanical device that can fail. People involved in shooting sports understand the possible outcome of a loaded weapon.

Just my 2 cents.

Paul

100% right. That's why I have a major problem with the anti-gun hysterics in Massachusetts. The prevailing mindset, especially in the uber liberal eastern third of the state is all guns are evil. I know of politicians around Boston who have proposed that parents should be brought up on child neglect/abuse charges for even allowing their children to touch a gun, even if it is for a supervised target practice session or legal hunting. The problem is, that a growing segment of the population has learned no respect for the damage a gun can do if not handled properly. It is not a toy used to threaten someone.

In contrast, other eastern states such as NH,VT, PA, and WV that have strong gun ownership rights and maintain a strong gun club and hunting culture, children are taught a very early age to handle and respect guns. Gun ownership is a right, but that right includes responsibilities.

[Jack M]

Because that is what a gun is for. If the intent is to threaten someone bring a bat. It has more than one purpose, a gun does not.

For people that take shooting sports

I'm confused. If it only has one purpose, how can it be used for sport?

I think if you can't trust yourself to control your weapon, you shouldn't have one.

[NateW]

I'm confused. If it only has one purpose, how can it be used for sport?

:lol: Well played!