Magazine Storage: Loaded? or Unloaded?

Storing magazines full or empty. My opinion, regarding your question, comes from my direct experience in the military, as a competitive shooter and as an industry professional. When using quality magazines with quality ammunition, stored and maintained properly, you can leave them loaded as long as you want to without any reservation. GEORGE HARRIS, August 12, 2019, “Shooting Illustrated” De-formed followers, bad ammunition, problematic firearms, and user error are more often to blame for frequent malfunctions than worn magazine springs. Chris Baker, editor of Lucky Gunner Lounge, June 02, 2014 I’ve shot guns with magazines for over 4 decades. I have a lot of experience with good and bad magazines. I have considerably less experience with wheel guns. But I actually taught revolver shooting in the military in the days of yore. I have had a few magazine failures but not very many. When I competed I was paranoid about magazines. If a magazine was ever in question, it was replaced. I did not store my competition magazines with ammo in them for fear of that being a factor. I have changed. I store self-defense magazines full of ammo all the time. I’ve talked to manufacturers, I’ve talked to engineers, and I’ve talked to many other instructors, and the conclusion I have come to is, I’ll store ammo in magazines, but I will probably rotate the ammo and the magazines on a fairly regular basis. In his article in Shooting Illustrated, George Harris said: "I thought it fitting to contact some of my friends in the industry, both from an engineering and customer-service perspective. As I suspected, the answers I received were as varied as the number of people to whom I talked. I called four different people in four different departments at one of the major manufacturers with whom I have a close relationship and received four different answers. They ranged from the magazine could remain loaded indefinitely and still function fine when and if the time came to use them, to a long, complicated regimen of exercising the spring by partially downloading the magazine periodically to different levels so the spring wouldn’t take a set to a specific position because of the number of rounds loaded in the magazine.” I’ve heard similar answers to the above so I adopted my own regime of storing magazines loaded, but rotating the ammunition at least annually, but just as often as not, 3 to 6 months. Some magazines are not used very often so that annual thing has not happened. I know I have some .25 caliber magazines that have not been changed out in a while. Probably a few years. I’ve started to put a post-it note with each magazine stored with a date it was put into storage to get a better idea of how long it has been. Some guns are not shot often and this simple note will at least tell me how old the ammo is. I’m not here to answer the question, “Should I store magazines loaded or not?” I’m here to shed light on the reality of storing and keeping guns functioning and keeping sanity. I’m probably the pickiest about my carry guns and other self-defense guns, but in my experience and for me, I store magazines loaded mostly. Depends on the gun. I have many AR15 magazines and all of them are not full all the time. But I have some guns that have only 4 magazines and I store those full. Unless it is an odd caliber that I don’t shoot much. So you see, the answer to this question is not really a definitive “loaded” or “unloaded”. The only time I’ve wanted all magazines always full was in combat. Otherwise, it’s a case by case basis. I’m glad to have cleared that up…. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Recommended: Has Big Pharma Hijacked Evidence-Based Medicine? By Dr. Joseph Mercola

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/12/joseph-mercola/has-big-pharma-hijacked-evidence-based-medicine/ This is a very interesting article and video. I recommend you watch and read, then do your own research! Semper Paratus Chek 6 Burn

Becoming A Danite (Updated DEC 2022)

This is just a reference to the article of SEP 29, 2022. Read it! Burn

Get Home Bag

Most of the country have experienced record high temperatures last Summer and we were no different. In the southwest we are used to no rain. In our area we have had no significant rain all year. But one night we experienced a real thunderstorm! I don’t normally work evenings but I happened to be at work that night. The storm hit right as I was leaving work. Lot’s of lightning, rain, and wind. I could hardly see the road as I made my way home. We live out of town about 4 miles and a few miles off the highway. Once I get off the highway we have about 3 significant low water crossings I was worried about. I came to the first and could see it flowing. Around here, if you can see it flowing it’s deep enough to take your car away. It only takes 2 inches anyway. So there I sat wondering when I would get home in a pouring rain, watching the lightning. It was hot but I couldn’t open the windows, of course. I was sweating and I thought maybe dehydration might be a problem. I had several bottles of water in the car so that wouldn’t be a problem. I got out of the car once to check a crossing and by the time I got back in I was drenched. I wish I’d had a poncho or rain jacket of some kind. Even a large garbage bag would have worked. I carry a flashlight and multi-tool so I had that. Every car we have has a folding knife and a lighter in the glove compartment. We try to keep pain reliever in there too. I really wish I’d have had an emergency kit when I needed it. I was only stranded there for about 30 minutes but it felt like hours. The rain calmed down, I found a crossing on a different road that got me home and I was in bed by midnight. As usual, the experience made me think of my lack of preparedness. I did have a cell phone and water. I could have cut a water bottle to collect rainwater if I needed to. This experience prompted me to research and put together a “get home” kit. Here is the list I came up with and I will explain my logic for the items I feel are the most important. Car Kit Suggested Items Purified water (2 liters/person) Food, (3 day supply requiring no cooking) Blanket, sleeping bag or emergency metallic space blanket Large plastic garbage bag, poncho or rain gear Can opener (P38) 2, ½ rolls toilet paper Compass and map, mirror, whistle Matches, striker, light sticks Pepper spray Tube tent Water straw filter Flashlights (extra batteries) Knife or multi-tool Eating utensils 550 Para cord, fish line, hooks Leather gloves, N95 masks Personal Items: Shower cap (to keep fallout out of your hair) Chapstick, hairbrush, hand lotion Feminine supplies, Toothbrush & toothpaste Soap, washcloth, small towel, razor Extra eyeglasses (even if you wear contacts) Deodorant Change of clothing, jacket, shoes, socks, underwear, hat Infant needs, if necessary Level 1 first aid kit Cold weather clothing, paint can alcohol heater (I’ve added these for those who live in cold areas, or areas that snow. We very rarely have any significant snow) This is a fairly complete kit. Items in bold are considered necessary. I’ll go through the first 9 items that I feel are essential. Remember my acronym SWiFFS? It stands for: shelter, water, food, fire, security. I think these things, in this order, are the very basics of survival. Some ask me why shelter first? Most of the time shelter is first but under certain circumstances water is first. There are times when first aid, which is not even on my list, will come first. Usually a shelter will be at the top though. If you are protected from the elements you will have a place to go to eat and drink and get warm. Sometimes water overshadows shelter. Notice on my list is water first. That is because you are already in a car for shelter. Of course food is next. Be sure to have plenty of water. The list says 2 liters per person but to be honest with you, I’d have about a gallon per person. I keep about 4 gallons. Yes it is a hassle securing it and keeping it fresh. But I live in a desert, and I want as much water as I can stand to deal with. That’s in my Jeep Cherokee. It will generally hold about 4 people. A larger vehicle, like years ago we had an Expedition, however holds 6 gallons. Anyway, find out what will work for you and adjust accordingly. Shelter also equals warmth and protection from the elements. I love wool blankets! They are light and very warm. They also retain most of their warmth properties even when wet. I also carry an emergency “foil” blanket. A poncho is a life saver. I like them because even the cheap ones do what they are designed to do. Wind does affect them a lot, but that can be said for many things. A can opener is a great necessity. There are many kinds of can openers but I like the old military style “P38”. It is small, and light. I carry one on my keychain but also in my kit. Being able to start a fire is a skill all people should have. A fire can purify water, cook food, give warmth, give light, give security and comfort, and it may be used to signal many miles away. Fire is extremely versatile. Having something to help you start a fire is truly priceless. Toilet paper is the best thing in your kit when it is needed. I have a roll vacuum packed and another in a zip loc bag. It can be used as a fire starter too! A compass can save your life, literally. Having a compass and map and knowing how to use it gives me great security and confidence. If you don't know anything about this, learn. The internet is full of websites and videos that teach this skill in detail. Or find a Boy Scout Troop in your area. They would be glad to teach you. A mirror and whistle can also save your life if you are lost. Using a mirror takes a little skill and practice but it's pretty simple. Pepper spray is a great small, light, non-lethal weapon. It will work on a man and some animals such as a dog. My family knows one of my rules is “Never leave home without a knife, or gun” Pepper spray is an alternative to lethal weapons. They take a little training too so ask someone who may know. Do you have a friend in law enforcement? They would be able to teach you the basics of using pepper spray. A “get home” kit could save your life at worst, or just get you home in a disaster or time of trouble. Don't forget to rotate your food, water, medicines, and anything else that could expire. Like your personal bug out bag, a get home bag will give safety, security, and peace or mind. This article is far from complete. Like all kit, these things are personal and should be tailored to you and your family's needs. Research and remember sometimes less is more. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Civilian Tactical Training

I had a conversation with a coworker today. He is concerned about his young family. He’s a guy in his 30’s with 2 kids and one on the way. He’s got a good job and good insurance. He’s saving some money and investing in a retirement. He’s got a house that should be paid off before his retirement. He’s fairly financial secure. Now he is concerned for his family’s physical security. He’s made sure his doors have plenty of locks and has created a “panic room” for his family to go to, but feels he needs to train them. His children are young but are old enough that they can understand the need for protection without being scared. I told him it starts with he and his wife. They need weapons training. Not only safety and operation of a weapon, but using that knowledge tactically. Tactical training for civilians should be general and scenario based. Many ranges offer tactical shooting courses that provide you situations that represent more realistic scenarios, rather than just standing at one end of a range and shooting at a stationary target. Classes are often the best course for many, however, if you do have the property, or can find a place where you can lawfully fire the rounds, you may consider setting up tactical training courses of your own. Remember that the element of surprise is a huge aspect of tactical training. If you do set up your own course, you will need a partner who can change the targets and situations to create a unique training experience every time. Tactical training requires a level of psychological involvement that is simply not applied in ordinary self-defense training approaches. Learning a specific, technical skill for defense is extremely important. But, a technical skill that is only mastered in a controlled environment is only applicable to similar controlled environments, not necessarily real world events. In order to learn a technical skill that will be helpful in any situation, you must be conditioned psychologically as well as physically. With the psychological aspect of tactical training in mind, you will practice your technical skill in a variety of anticipated states, considering factors like stress or exhaustion. Preparing your mind for the possibility of these stressful situations will enable you to perform with greater effectiveness when an actual disaster occurs. Not all tactical training is physical in nature, and hoplology is a great place for many beginners to start. As with most things, research can be a huge asset to a person’s self-defense repertoire. Hoplology is the study of the development of human combative behavior and performance. It is in short, the relationship between different cultures in regards to how and why we fight. Becoming a student of hoplology opens you up to a slightly different tactical approach . Taking the knowledge of why and how we fight into consideration can give you a slight advantage when engaging in combat with a potential assailant. Studying other cultures and fighting techniques can also give you an advantage when approached with any self-defense situation. Not only can you anticipate what might be coming, but you can take appropriate action to combat it as well. One of the things that helped me in combat was the chaos. I could focus on my own task at hand and block out the noise and confusion. When I was in high school my Mother couldn’t understand how I could study with music going. The chaos becomes like white noise, and I was able to concentrate on my task at hand. No one is safe if they only learn how to protect themselves in one type of situation. That is why even if you are focusing on one specific discipline of tactical training you will find that it is both broad and inclusive of a variety of potential scenarios. Any good tactical training course will provide you with multiple situations to overcome, preparing you for a variety of both physical and psychological tasks associated with your survival. Yes, you can learn to shoot the same menacing looking targets in different orders each time at the gun range, but this only covers one scenario and is not effective tactical training. True tactical training will also call on more than one level of physical and psychological needs at any given time, to ensure you are well rounded and prepared for any situation. A good tactical training session might even appear chaotic, but they are highly structured to call on multiple skills to test a student. If you can use your range of skills to make sense and survive the situation, the chaos leaves, which is exactly what you are hoping to be able to apply to a real-life scenario. You can help prepare your family with tactical training as well. There is a fine line between preparing and scaring your children, so always consider their age and understanding level in every training scenario. Drills, however, are important and can give you the life savings seconds you need in a disaster scenario. Many families have fire drills for instance, so considering a few potential events and outcomes that your loved ones can practice to increase your chance of survival is a form of tactical training that can keep your whole family safe and better prepared. There are several important points in tactical training. Avoid highly specialized training classes and events. While it is good to practice in specific ways, broad range courses are best for beginners, so you can build a solid skill set. You can go on to more specialized training down the road. Look for a course with scenario-based training as it can help prepare you psychologically, as well as physically. Hone your skills. One of the goals of tactical training is to take your actions from being intellectual to instinctual. If you’ve ever heard of “muscle memory” you’ll begin to understand using instincts. In high-stress situations, if you can rely on your instincts to help in your defense you have a higher chance of surviving a confrontation. Any few seconds you can spare in mental processing and decision making, due to effective, tactical training could be life-saving. Situational awareness is something you can practice away from the shooting range. Self-defense is a lifelong journey. You must adopt it as part of your regular life and commit to continually practice if you want to truly become a master in the art of self-defense and be able to defend yourself no matter what the situation brings. This mindset is something that can be practiced off the range also. Again I bring up the Cooper Color Codes. Condition White is unaware and unprepared. This is a condition you should try to avoid, as it means you will probably lose a fight. The only time that I’m in condition white is when I’m asleep. And even then, I wouldn’t consider myself unprepared; I’m just unaware. Condition Yellow is relaxed alert. Yellow means you are aware of what is happening around you, but you do not perceive a potential threat. Your mindset should be prepared to defend yourself if the need arises. Everywhere I go, I’m in Condition Yellow. I keep a pretty good watch on the people around me, and I’m continuously rating each person’s danger level in my mind. Condition Orange means that there is a potential threat that has gotten your attention. This can be almost anything and usually results in nothing, at which time you go back to yellow. Condition Orange basically means that if someone turns and I spot a firearm. Instantly, I determine what I’m going to do if he reaches for that gun. Condition Red means that you are in a lethal mode of mindset and will fight if the circumstances are warranted. In our make-believe scenario, the armed guy draws a gun from under his coat. At this point, I implement my action plan that was determined during Condition Orange. This doesn’t always mean fight. If there are too many innocents around or you don’t have the means, your best plan might be to wait and see what happens or even retreat and call the police. These levels are not situational awareness levels. These are a mindset to be in always. Even when you can’t be armed. Being tactically trained and having a security mindset is something anyone can do. It’s important in a prepared lifestyle. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

You Have A Right To Rights!

Will our gun rights be violated? They already have been. I’m not talking about gun laws, but gun confiscation. In 2005, during hurricane Katrina, police and National Guard went house-to-house and confiscated guns. It took a lawsuit to get those guns returned. Law enforcement made a feeble attempt, but they claim it’s too difficult because of so many residents misplaced because of the hurricane. Yet the NRA was able to do a pretty good job of finding these citizens. In 2006, Congress passed the DISASTER RECOVERY PERSONAL PROTECTION ACT OF 2006. The law was intended to prevent the government from seizing legally owned firearms during the time of a disaster. It was incorporated as an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act 2007 and signed into law on October 4, 2006. In H.R. 5013 it states: “(3) In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the safety of these citizens, and of their homes and property, was threatened by instances of criminal activity. (4) Many of these citizens lawfully kept firearms for the safety of themselves, their loved ones, their businesses, and their property, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment, and used their firearms, individually or in concert with their neighbors, for protection against crime. (5) In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, certain agencies confiscated the firearms of these citizens in contravention of the Second Amendment, depriving these citizens of the right to keep and bear arms and rendering them helpless against criminal activity. (6) These confiscations were carried out at gunpoint by nonconsensual entries into private homes, by traffic checkpoints, by stoppage of boats, and otherwise by force. (7) The citizens from whom firearms were confiscated were either in their own homes or attempting to flee the flooding and devastation by means of motor vehicle or boat, and were accosted, stopped, and arbitrarily deprived of their private property and means of protection.” This is part of the Congressional record. So the politicians, Including our current President and Vice-President, have said they will not take anyone’s guns. Hopefully this law and others, will keep this from happening again. So left leaning people need to stop saying we’re paranoid, it’s already happened! Politicians talk about countries that they want to copy as far as gun confiscation Australia reports from the early 2000s estimate that only 20% or so of the banned firearms had been confiscated. Non-compliance is so widespread that the Australian government has seen fit to repeatedly offer extra periods of amnesty, most recently in 2016, after a government report estimated there were still 260,000 “illegal” firearms in civilian hands. Australia similarly banned the civilian possession of most semi-automatic firearms in 1996, but the country has spent the last two decades trying—and to a significant extent, failing—to enforce it. In Texas, Government Code Chapter 418 (EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT) permits the Governor to declare a State of Disaster which suspends certain state laws and regulations to allow local authorities to conduct rescue and recovery operations. However, it does not allow for the seizure of any legally owned firearms, University of Melbourne researchers Wang-Sheng Lee and Sandy Suardi concluded their 2008 report on the Australia’s debacle with the statement, “There is little evidence to suggest that [the Australian mandatory gun-buyback program] had any significant effects on firearm homicides.” “Although gun buybacks appear to be a logical and sensible policy that helps to placate the public’s fears,” the reported continued, “the evidence so far suggests that in the Australian context, the high expenditure incurred to fund the 1996 gun buyback has not translated into any tangible reductions in terms of firearm deaths.” The U.S. background check system prevented more than 300,000 firearm sales in 2020, a record amount indicating that nearly twice as many sales were blocked than the year before. Citing FBI data provided by Everytown for Gun Safety, The Associated Press reported that 42 percent of those denied sales of a firearm had previous felony convictions. The news comes as the number of potential gun buyers increased over the past two years from 0.6 percent to 0.8 percent, according to AP. One expert told the wire service that the increase in declined sales may be due to the fact that first-time buyers who have a previous conviction are unaware that they are legally prohibited from owning guns. “Some may have a felony conviction on their record and not think about it,” UCLA law professor Adam Winkler, who specializes in gun policy, told the AP. Winkler added that although making a false statement in a background check is a felony punishable by prison time, most are not prosecuted for essentially lying on a form filled out before making a purchase. U.S. gun sales surged during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. CNN reported that around 23 million guns were sold in 2020, a 65 percent increase from 2019, when 13.9 million guns were sold. Of those who were prevented from purchasing guns, 16 percent were blocked by state laws and 12 percent were blocked due to reasons related to domestic violence, according to the AP. “There’s no question that background checks work, but the system is working overtime to prevent a record number of people with dangerous prohibitors from being able to buy firearms,” Everytown research director Sarah Burd-Sharps said. “The loopholes in the law allow people to avoid the system, even if they just meet online or at a gun show for the first time.” The “loop-hole” she’s talking about is private sales. I’m sure Sarah is appalled at this practice but she is unaware of the black market guns that are out there. These are illegal guns being sold to illegal buyers. Regardless of law, this black market will always exist. Sarah also thinks that private sellers don’t care who they sell to. She is wrong. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t care what is done with the gun that they sell. I know that I don’t want a knock on my door from law enforcement asking about a gun I no longer own. I don’t do background checks but I ask for personal information like a social security number and a drivers license. I like to have an idea who I’m dealing with. I also require a bill of sale and always ask if they have a concealed carry license. If they have a CC license at least I am assured they passed a back ground check. What Sarah doesn’t realize is how easy it is to find a black-market gun with no questions asked. This is usually an illegal sale but not necessarily. Banning the gun does not work. Confiscation does not work. The cat is already out of the bag with confiscation. More people trained and carrying would help. Background checks help but they will not cure what ills us. We have a problem with people. It won’t change with banning. It will change with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not to get religious but this is the only true cure. Everything else is a band aid. Changing the way we think, how we handle stress, and how we act toward each other. These things will change a lot of this violence. But as one who has experienced his fair share of being involved with violence and evil, I’m here to tell you and Sarah that you can not stop it. I don’t understand the logic of making laws to stop law breakers. Some people don’t understand rights. These are not man-made even though men enacted the constitution. When I say God-given rights I’m saying that despite the affairs of mankind, despite human history, despite what you may want or I may want, despite the realities of our society, certain qualities of life are the birthright of every living soul. Defending ourselves and our families from those who would harm us IS a God-given right. How we do that may be disputed. I’m not sure of a better way to do this than with a gun. Other weapons are a possibility, but they do not address a threat the same way. This is why this amendment is in the bill of rights. You can’t just say “Oh you don’t need that anymore.” This right will always exist in spite of the above threats of gun control. Law enforcement is not the answer. Unless a cop lives with you, they cannot protect you. When seconds count, the police are minutes away. If we don’t pay attention to our rights they will be shaken and taken. Always be aware of what is happening to our rights. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn