Southwest Middle School in Lakeland, Florida was placed on lockdown for two hours Thursday morning after a student reported seeing a man waving a gun and another reported seeing him jump the fence surrounding the campus. School resource officers notified other officers, and eventually approximately 25 police officers, K-9 units, detectives, tactical officers and sheriff’s deputies were on the scene. After a search found a BB gun in a residential backyard behind the school, police spoke to a man inside the house who admitted being in his backyard with the gun. . .
and shooting at squirrels, but said he never pointed it at the students or jumped the fence. Police reinterviewed the student witnesses and say they now think the man never crossed the fence or posed any danger. I don’t blame the cops, because at this point they can’t not respond. I blame the hoplophobic adults who have taught the children under their care to be afraid of their own shadows. Well, them, and the cops wearing balaclavas. Because seriously.
A Coralville, Iowa burglary was thwarted by a gun-toting homeowner Wednesday evening. It seems that the homeowner caught 22-year-old James L. Travis, Jr., dressed in black and wearing a black stocking cap inside his car and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. No one will be surprised to learn that the would-be burglar has two prior burglary convictions from waaaay back in October of this year. In an interesting twist, property records show the homeowner is Quint Meyerdirk, a Johnson County public defender. Meyerkirk has never represented Travis according to online court information. Of course, despite the homeowners actions being completely legal, the police recommend citizens not take matters into their own hands. “We do not encourage people to take enforcement action,” said Coralville Police Chief Barry Bedford.
San Jose, California will hold its first gun buy-up in 18 years on December 14th, the anniversary of Sandy Hook. Several local muckety-mucks including the Santa Clara County DA and acting Police Chief announced they would be raising money for the gun buy-up after a couple of “successful” events organized by Santa Clara County doled out $175,000 to collect over 1700 guns in March. The county DA said, “We here in San Jose are not going to stand for guns being in the wrong hands.” Somehow I think voluntary turn-ins are not the most effective method the District Attorney could be employing to reach those ends. I wonder how many cases his office has reduced charges on or plead out in order to “get a win” rather than going to the expense and hassle of a trial.
The Port Charlotte (Florida) Town Centre Mall was locked down Monday after police received reports of a man carrying a handgun near the mall’s J.C. Penney store. Several nearby schools were also locked down for about an hour along with the mall while deputies searched the facility. Police were unable to find a man with a gun or see anyone carrying a gun on security camera footage. After an extensive search, deputies located the man, who was discovered to be a waiter at a local restaurant who was carrying his folded-up apron around the mall with him. I… don’t even have the words. Fill them in yourself while I pour another drink.
Hickok45 gives his (brief) thoughts on the “leaving your magazines loaded” debate, which really ought not to be a debate any longer.
He’s also a hell of a woodcarver.
What’s up with the Jolly Green Giant responding to the BB gun call?
Agent in charge of kids eating thir vegetables
Looks more like a mini-Hulk.
I was thinking the blobs green cousin.
“You are a disgusting fat-body, private Pyle!!!”
He’s one of the new flava Navigators–the Veggie Vigilantes launched by Mrs. POTUS.
Obviously he’s in the early stages of drinking the magickal Kool-…I mean water that will make everyone slim, desirable, and deserving of federal and philanthropic funding. (No promises yet about it imparting intelligence.)
He really thinks we’ll take his word on this after he pretends to carve that 1911 with a Bowie knife? WTF?
didn’t you see the wood chips?
I believe your sense of humor has been loaded and unloaded too many times. You may need some replacement parts.
If this was a contest, we’d be done here.
I spilled my drink, thanks.
Have 1 internet for that comment.
My metallurgy instructors must be pretty poor experts. Despite all their degrees and experience, they keep reinforcing failed notions based on real science. Maybe nobody asked their opinion.
The video is a couple months old. In Hickok’s next video after this one he showcases a guy he knows who makes functional (but non-firing) wood 1911s. The start of this video with the faux-whittling was for the lulz.
By the way, the purpose of terrorism is to spread terror. I think we can see by the over-reaction of citizens and authorities to ANY report of a “man with a gun” that this part of their program has succeeded.
If I were inclined to commit an act of terrorism (and even though I’m a white, gun-loving veteran, I am NOT a terrorist), I would first make a bogus call “man with a gun” at a theater, school or mall as far from my actual target as possible. While 90% of the local LEOs are tied up looking for the busboy’s apron or the neighbor’s Red Ryder I could pretty much do as I pleased on the other side of town.
They do it when they rob banks…
Auto users are caught in a vicious cycle. You have to practice with your weapon. Which means loading and unloading mags. Accelerating wear on them until they need to be replaced. And there’s always that nagging doubt about your weapon of choice. Is this the time I really need a flawless performance and will the mag crap out? 0dark30 and the sound of breaking glass is not the time to wonder if your mag is worn a little too much.
Magazine springs are cheap. I have separate magazines for range use and carry. I do fire the carry magazines every six months or so to make sure everything is still working fine. I have had zero issues.
I replace HK pistol magazine springs every 10 years whether they need it or not. If I remember, and I’m not busy with other stuff.
Seriously, this is not an issue with a modern service-grade magazine fed pistol. Maybe if we’re talking Hi-Points, Kel-Tecs, or (ahem) Eastern Bloc milsurp pistols, but it just doesn’t apply to guns of the HK/SIG/S&W/Glock tier.
(ahem) I could duct tape 8 rounds together, jam them into the butt of my Mak and the gun would feed and fire them flawlessly.
As for the other replies to my mag comment. I can see that I still need to work on my comedic delivery a little. I’ll keep my day job for now.
P.S. AG, it’s going to be january before I realisticly get any range time. Holidays and family committments and such.
Have two sets of mags, one marked for practice. Use the carry mags just enough to make sure they function properly, and then don’t use them for anything but carry. That way, if you wear out your practice mags, you will only find out during practice.
Thank you for calling it a “gun buy-up” and a “voluntary turn-in” rather than a “gun buyback”. Both of the terms you used are, in fact accurate…in contrast to the usual phrasing.
That having been said, I think it’s a losing battle regarding this particular phrase…but the effort is appreciated.
We are winning where private sales are allowed. Private buyers are turning up and reversing the paradyme. It is another reason the anti-rights crowd wants to ban private sales.
I’ve always wanted to show up at one of these events with a wad of cash, but that’s no longer possible in
Colorado. One of the unintended consequences of background checks now being required for all firearm transfers in Colorado is that it has made “buyback” events here illegal.
Which I find hilarious.
Unfortunately, here in CA I’d have to drag along an FFL to mediate a person-to-person transfer then hold the gun for 10 days.
One of these days I’m going to find an 01 FFL who’s willing to do it, at which point I’ll organize a field trip via the CalGuns forum…
How the hell do you mistake an apron for a gun? Its sad that people are so afraid of everything that they see something that isn’t even there. Kinda just answered my own question but eh, it still stands to ask.
Don’t take enforcement action? So what were suppose to wait 20 for you to arrive and hope were not already dead? Do police even know what the guns they carry are for??
For shooting dogs and threatening kids.
Cops love this, they get to play dress up and pretend they made it into a real military unit.
Those gloves are totally tacticool and needed in FL…
Matt in FL, we need a new feature: The Stupid Lockdown of the Day. I don’t think you’ll lack for material.
As for Police Chief Barry Bedford, I think his actual statement was, “We do not encourage police officers to take enforcement action.” Roger that.
We almost had one in Hanover PA. Cops issued warrant. Shots fired back and forth. Stopped. Military police called in. Major route closed. Some kids could not go home. Blocked. Hours went by. Shooter died.
I have a Ruger SR9c. I have not cleared the 17 round mag in over six months. Am I being stupid? Or, is Hickok45 correct and you can keep a mag full forever?
Well, forever might be overstating it, but I don’t think years is out of the question. Also, keep in mind that if you do have a magazine failure, it will likely be the spring, and it will likely simply not extend to its full length. What that means is the first round and the several that follow it will likely work fine, it’s the last one or two that will be questionable.
I would not worry in the slightest about keeping a magazine loaded for any length of time. If you loaded it when your kid was born and they’re about to graduate college, you may want to at least run a magazine full through it to make sure it works. Though honestly, I’d be surprised if it didn’t.
To extend that, I have had magazines (16 round) for my XDm sit in my gun bag loaded for some period in excess of a year. I’m really not sure how much longer than that, but I bet I’ve got one in there that’s been 18+ months. I’ve got 7-8 mags for it, and they don’t get “rotated” the way others might. I have never experienced a magazine related failure on my XDm. To be honest, I really can’t specifically remember a failure of any kind, though I’m sure there’s been a couple FTFs from cheap ammo that’ve slipped my mind.
Six of my HK pistol mags had a cumulative 6+ years, each, sitting loaded to 100% capacity before I replaced the springs. They all fed fine, but magazine #2 (IIRC) was ~25% unreliable in causing the slide to lock back when the mag was empty.
Factory-new HK mag springs for all six: under $50, delivered in 3 days.
Just sayin’.
My Walter P-1 was manufactured in 1965 (date on the slide) and has the original magazine. It works. It’s older than I am.
I have a Remington Rand 1911 that Dad brought back from the war. The 68+ year old magazine still works fine.
I will test each of my carry magazines every six months or so by firing a full string through. I have had zero issues with my Glock, Kahr, Beretta, Sig, S&W, and Ruger magazines.
My Taurus PT738 for about a year. It’s full of pocket lint. Let me test it.
Just emptied the mag out the door into the dirt. Worked just fine…
“Well, them, and the cops wearing balaclavas. Because seriously.”
Dude, it like keeps his face warm man. And its stylish. What are you, a fashion critic?
Always careful with the springs regardless. My beddy ready is a CALICO 9mm. It sits there with 50 ready to go. I keep the spring wound only a few turns. I had a couple of tapco 9mm mags fail. The feed lips flared.
I think the operative word there is Tapco which is synonymous with junk, garbage, trash……
What’s with the balaclavas? Are they afraid citizens will ID them in a line up when their raid goes south? I am really not joking–the balaclavas really disturb me. Mexico, sure, cops are targeted at home. But not here. The one thing we need more than anything is for the cops to be humans, not featureless robotic drones. The Age of Robocop is upon us. andthat is not a good thing.
If a bunch of them show up like that, it’s a problem.
In small numbers, it’s generally undercover & narcotics detectives who are available to respond to an active-shooter incident but don’t want their picture splashed all over the internets. I have no problem with this.
Balaclavas are really usefull if its cold, but I dont have experience with the climate in the US.
On an unrelated note: What do you do to prevent your glasses fogging when wearin a balaclava?
In Florida, there’s absolutely no weather-related reason for a balaclava. It was probably in the mid-70s fahrenheit when that pic was taken, and everyone is wearing short sleeves. Somebody just feels the need to look like a semi-anonymous badass.
In most of the rest of the country, where winter actually happens (today’s high where I live was 26 degrees f.), a balaclava would make more sense. Or a beard. That would make even more sense. Maybe the guy can’t grow a tactical beard and he’s overcompensating.
One drop of baby shampoo spread around inside each lens prevents fogging. Not that I wear balaclavas, but when I use an N95 dust mask and safety glasses, the shampoo trick does the job.
Liquid dishwashing detergent works too.
Baby shampoo has the advantage of being less irritating if it gets into your eyes. Also you can get the little 1-ounce travel size bottles right off the shelf.
Why would any jury accept the testimony of an “under cover” government employee. By his very nature he is a liar. Under cover government employees should be banned under the 4th and 5th Amendments.
Lockdown/ Locked-down? Don’t most people associate that term with…a prison?
Your point being…
Just leave all your mags loaded, unloaded mags are useless.
FTW!
“Of course, despite the homeowners actions being completely legal, the police recommend citizens not take matters into their own hands. ‘We do not encourage people to take enforcement action,’ said Coralville Police Chief Barry Bedford.”
I’ll refrain from taking matters into my own hands when the cops actually prevent the perps from harming me instead of coming in afterwards to mop up my dead body. Difference between their “enforcement” and our “survival” is a concept I wouldn’t expect a liberal egomaniac/statist/non-realist to understand.
Anyone who gives a moments thought to springs will realize their fears are unfounded. Springs fail from cycles of use, not static position. How long does it take for a cheap clicker pen to fail? Same concept.
Shock on a vehicle, also a good analogy, how many shocks go out on a parked vehicle?
I have a slinky around here from 1974 that still descends the stairs like a champ. So I’m not worried about our Glock, Ruger, Sig or Pmags.
On a side note, that slinky business is always a crowd pleaser whenever friends/family have little ones over. It’s like a pre-historic Xbox. For the holidays, I might just dig the hula hoop and pogo stick out of the attic and let the hilarity ensue.
I have a friend who is a teacher and a concealed carrier that was in the school in Port Charlotte. Two notes from him: since he can’t carry to work, he works in a shop, teaching students several different classes, he figured he could get some piping, compressed air, and metal scraps to rig something if he needed. The second is that the doors to the classrooms are weird and after the all clear, they have to wait for maintenance to come around before they are set loose.
Wait, isn’t that how they made Iron Man?
I’ve got a shop teacher that built his own iron man upper torso, its even got a flamethrower that will shoot about 15 feet on the arm. He keeps it in a cabinet in the shop.
That’s awesome. Coolest thing I ever made in middle school metal shop was an anchor for my skiff. Wasn’t exactly a work of art; but it was better than the cinder block I had been using. Following semester in wood shop, though, I built (just like 20 other guys did) a rifle rack for my BB and pellet guns. Can kids even build those in wood shop nowadays without provoking a full federal investigation, SWAT invasion and interrogation? Ahhh……..the 80’s. Who would’ve thought we’d look back and consider those the good ol’ days?
I want a porch like that on my next house.
> I blame the hoplophobic adults who have taught the children under their care to be afraid of their own
> shadows.
I am not sure if this anywhere else, but in the tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) area radio stations, TV stations and billboards plaster the “See something, say something” BS during commuter times morning and evening.
It has been so hyper sensitive that since Newtown, about dozen people have been arrested for carrying a deadly black umbrella slung around their shoulder and at least one was arrested on “menacing” charges for an umbrella. It is to the point I wonder when someone makes an umbrella that has the words “UMBRELLA” stenciled on them for the idiots.
But my favorite, was someone who had police called for walking around his driveway with a caulk gun filling in the cracks in his driveway. Yes, it was a deadly black caulk gun.
I see no benefits to the PSAs except that police have to answer hundreds of false alarms and can justify overtime or additional man power and then there those whom hear these stupid incidents and will eventually become desensitized to the point that when there is something real, they will not call the police.
But, if it helps just one persons feelings, then I guess it is great!
They do the PSAs to appease the
StaziDHS. Nobody here listens to them on public transit anyway, since they sound something like an announcement about a Martian invasion or someone losing their cat.Also, like a misinformed friend of mine, don’t buy into the mags half loaded idea either, it doesn’t hurt, or help the spring any more, or less.
Effectively, all you’ve done is turn your 15 round semi auto into a 7/8 round semi auto. At that point, just get a revolver, save yourself the hassle of mags.
Or maybe he lives in New York.
That would also be a misinformed decision…
my Son’s school goes into lockdown every few months while Sherrif Deputies check reports of gunfire. We’re rural, the school is surrounded by farms, there are livestock, coyotes, fox, and whatnot. During these lockdowns, there has never been any credible threat, just farmers protecting their livestock and school admims following policy. It woild be nice if some sort of change could be emplaced where the false alarms could be decreased.
Arm the teachers . . .no need for ‘lockdowns’ and they’ll only need to call the cops if they actually have to shoot someone, which is so highly unlikely (especially if people know teachers are armed) that generations will go by without it happening.
“Well, them, and the cops wearing balaclavas. Because seriously.”
I roll my eyes at suburban commando cops playing dress up. I might let slide the tough guys rocking the balaclavas; but Seal Te am Sucks here seriously needs an intervention for big boy in the middle hitting the baklavas. I’m just sayin’…..
Maybe big boy in the middle is wearing a balaclava because he’s too embarrassed to show his face in public after what the baklava has done to his midsection.
My dad say he’s got a Dunlop. As in, his belly dunlopped over his belt.
Some years ago, I bought a Savage .32 ACP pistol that had been sitting in a desk drawer, loaded and cocked for many years. How many years? I don’t know, but the primers had a “U” stamped on them. Those haven’t been made for quite a long time. By the way, the gun functioned perfectly and all the cartridges fired like they were new!
“We do not encourage people to take enforcement action,” said Coralville Police Chief Barry Bedford.
Of course not, if people started taking responsibility for their own security, assholes like this would be out of a job.
Realize that Coralville it’s a college town. University of Iowa is located there. It’s a suburb of Iowa City. They don’t want none, they don’t need none, and “you better respect my authoritie!” <=The Chief
Question of the day, is it possible for LEO’s to be mall ninja tacitcool?
Chubby fat @ss with the ridiculous gut and balaclava concerns me.
I’ll say it again: The terrorists won. The media and the Feds have everyone under 15 scared to death of anything and everything. Nice…
“I’ll say it again: The terrorists won.”
Sadly, it is probably more accurate to say that the Progressives won. Or at least, they’re winning with the utes.
dude seriously what up with old fart, he’s boring me to death, no facts, bias, and completely goes of topic into old fart land.
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