I saw this incredible video on Xavier Thoughts. I find his site extremely fascinating.
Quick, smooth tactical reloads are impressive, especially when performed running and gunning.
A while back, I showed a series of photos on how to perform a 1911 reload in this post, and I am fairly proficient at getting the job done. My preference for a handgun reload though, is the shotgun I fought myself to. If I am still in need of ammunition with the smoking shotgun in my hands, I hope there will be another shotgun nearby, or a half empty firearm on the floor.Does that sound a little paranoid to you? It certainly does to me. Where is the line between reasonable precaution which constitute preparedness and over-the-top paranoid delusion? Can planning for every contingency to this degree become a trap for some people which itself diminishes freedom? Or, does it make sense to plan meticulously for the extremely rare event of armed home invasion and the even rarer event of home invasion by a team of commandos?
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
He’s a professional competitive shooter and instructor. That’s not paranoia.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s your point though? You say civilians shouldn’t carry because they are not tactically trained like police officers. But when they seek out tactical training and practice- they are dangerously paranoid. Heller (the author) would be proud of your logic.
Owning a gun is like owning any other tool or instrument. Would you pay $30k for a new grand piano only to play "Chopsticks" on it? Likewise, would you buy a $2k gun only to know how to shoot it until it runs dry or jams?
ReplyDeleteYou should always strive to be better skilled in every aspect of it's use. It's what separates gun owners from shooters.
What I find paranoid is not the competitive excellence of the guy in the video, but the language of Xavier describing how thoroughly he prepares for violent contingencies as if a squad of commandos is liable to attack at any moment.
ReplyDeleteWhat's paranoid? from what you quoted it sounds like he's saying "bring enough gun"
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with that?
"but the language of Xavier describing how thoroughly he prepares for violent contingencies as if a squad of commandos is liable to attack at any moment."
ReplyDeleteI don't know about commandos but he did have to defend himself once against local goblins that thought attacking him and his daughter in a Wal-Mart parking lot was a good idea. I believe he is also an ER trauma nurse and has probably seen close up that his city is full of criminals.
FWM, I wondered if Xavier was one of those who'd had occasion to use his self-defense skills and that's why he's so serious about it.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that similar to the gun control person who takes that position because a loved one was shot and killed? This is something you guys disparage. To me, getting mugged in a parking lot should not lead to the excessive gun fanaticism that we read on his site. It's not normal.
Isn't that similar to the gun control person who takes that position because a loved one was shot and killed?
ReplyDeleteNo, because unlike the gun control advocate he's not using that emotional event to strip others of their free choice and Constitutional Rights.
MikeB: “Isn't that similar to the gun control person who takes that position because a loved one was shot and killed?”
ReplyDeleteNot everyone is going to take that position. I think they will stay on the same side, but they will be more passionate about it after such a tragedy. I'll bet anything Carolyn McCarthy had a negative opinion about guns before her husband was murdered. On the other hand, I’ll point you to Suzanna Hupp, who actually witnessed both her parents die in a mass shooting. But instead of asking the question, “How did this sick man get a gun?” her question was “Why did the law disarm me and prevent me from saving my parent’s life?”
Yes, I've seen the video of Suzanna Hupp, if that's the one I'm thinking of. She's a great spokesperson for your cause.
ReplyDeleteMike, we all form our opinion of the world around us based on our personal experiences. I do not "prepare for violent contingencies as if a squad of commandos is liable to attack at any moment" as you put it. I prepare for a violent and quick moving encounter that has me behind in the OODA loop. That is much more likely to be one or two criminals than a squad of crack commandos. Regardless, if I am behind on the OODA loop, chances are I will be impaired for life or dead unless I have the means of rapidly reversing the unfolding events.
ReplyDeleteMike, the reason why a high school drop out failure at life thug can defeat and put down a well trained college graduate in a violent confrontation is not because he is smarter. It is because he has a plan and he is familiar with human behavior in violent encounters. To be able to survive such a situation, a person can depend on luck, or they can prepare themselves through training and education. To adequately prepare, they must understand the nature of a violent encounter and what their inadequacies are when attacked.
A gun does not protect you Mike. The ability to use the gun swiftly, effectively and decisively are what protect you when you are down to your last option. You will note, however, if you took the time to read before you decided to type out your screed, that I advocate first recognition, then avoidance and evasion of threats. To remain safe, the threat must first be recognized.
The fear of appearing "not normal" leads many people walking around totally unprepared for a violent encounter with a criminal. I do not know if you are a person such as this, or if you are a gun owner who simply believes that having a gun is enough. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me. I do encourage you to become a gun owner if you are not, and get solid, professional training in self defense if you are. Your lack of understanding of the nature of a violent encounter is readily apparent.
I took a look at your sidebar, and I saw "I'm an American expat living in Italy these last 20 years." That about sums it up, doesn't it? I'll put it to you this way Mike. I'm a law abiding citizen of a country where I can carry an effective means of self defense. I chose to do so. Because I do so, I invest the time to learn to use it effectively.
Now you can peck away all the you like about it, but that will not change. Am I paranoid? Are you talking clinically paranoid? Paranoia is a term that delusional people use in a derogatory fashion to describe those better prepared than themselves. It makes them feel more secure as they smugly cite statistics and anecdotes. All the while, people continue to die in violent encounters, while others manage to survive. I encourage you to investigate why some victims survive while others do not.
I'll answer a couple of your questions as well. Have I been a victim? Yes. Did it lead me towards gun ownership? No. I already owned guns. It did lead me towards effective, realistic training.
I recently had a friend, a police officer, die as the result of a violent encounter. He was holding a taser on a criminal instead of his gun. The criminal pulled a gun and shot and killed him before his partner could return fire, or before my friend could transition from his taser to his own gun. Should he have tased the criminal? IMHO, yes. However, he followed his training and went for his own gun when he saw the criminal produce a gun. As a result, he was behind on the OODA loop, was shot and killed.
ReplyDeleteThese encounters happen with breathtaking speed. Training is essential, but more importantly, recognizing and understanding the threat is imperative. It is this aspect of self defense that so many people ignore, and if you had taken the time to read a bit deeper, perhaps you would have found it.
Excessive gun fanaticism? It's a gun blog Mike. Oh, occasionally it gets into photography, bicycles and such, but my core readership is gun owners and those who care about defending themselves if need be. I know my readers, just as you know your readers.
Rather than just address your blog post, I went searching through your blog for how your true feelings on guns. I found it, I think, at the end of this post. http://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/2008/12/santa-shoots-up-joint-eight-dead.html
"Let me be perfectly clear. My own, extremely biased opinion is there are too many guns in the hands of too many people and something should be done about it."
I should have known. Have a good life Mike. Enjoy your blogging. Goodnight.
To sum up, I did Parris Island Marine Corp training when I was 17, in the summer of 1970. I didn’t have to go to Viet Nam, thank goodness. After the military I owned guns both legally and illegally over a period of about 15 years. I was never passionate about them back then and over the last couple of decades have become strongly anti-gun, especially since I started writing this blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wallsofthecity.net/2009/10/mikeb302000_lying_criminal.html
Xavier, Thanks for taking the time to respond so thoroughly. I've read your writing several times over the last year, so if it's worth anything, I didn't just give you a quick glance and then start spouting off.
ReplyDeleteIn a similar way, you shouldn't read too much into that quote of mine you selected, the "something should be done" quote. It sounded like you were thinking that means I favor gun confiscations and bans and stuff like that. I don't.
You're such a good writer that I'm sure you influence many people, from luke-warm gun owners who are not passionate to the ones who think like you do. Among these people, who number in the tens of millions (I know you don't reach all of them), there may a good number who are a bit skittish or nervous or, yes paranoid. Your description, what I called "over-the-top paranoid delusion," harms these guys. It makes them more skittish or nervous or paranoid. The overall result is not more gun safety but less. That's my opinion.
Your final comment left me a bit confused. Was there a point?
I think his point is that you're a criminal and a hypocrite MikeB.
ReplyDeleteNow, Mike W., that's a good way to get your comments deleted or for me to engage the moderating function again. The question was not even put to you, but since we're at it, did you see what Guav had to say about this over at Sebastian's place? Guav is certainly no fan of mine, but he pointed out some obvious things about what you just said.
ReplyDeleteBut, let me put it to you this way, please don't talk to me like that on my own blog. OK?
TS: But instead of asking the question, “How did this sick man get a gun?” her question was “Why did the law disarm me and prevent me from saving my parent’s life?”
ReplyDeleteDo anti-gunowner advocates REALLY ask "How did this sick man get a gun"?
I ask that because most of the time the laws that they wind up proposing would NOT have prevented the sick man in question from getting a gun.
Haven't stopped by in while, but this was a good set of comments.
ReplyDeleteI think that most of the folks that actually train, take the time to study, and are familiar with "tactical" are too well put together to be emotionally unbalanced. It takes a lot of work to become proficient in the use of firearms, and to be well prepared.
So when we, (I include myself in the former group.) hear someone moaning about violence or danger etc, we look around and think, "That's your problem, lack of preparation on your part doesn't mean squat from diddly to me." So follow me here, I am prepared, I am a good law abiding citizen, I may be heavily armed and maybe own an arsenal, I am responsible. So we ask, "What's your beef again?" It can't possibly be with me.
By the way, I recognize your clever use of these contentious subjects. Hats off to you for good traffic creation!
Regards,
Albert
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Sure any passion can turn into a prison. Take the photographer who can no longer look at a scene and take it in whole, but who immediately starts thinking composition, what speed film would be best, etc etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's got to be a hell of a thing to walk your daughter down the aisle and think 'speed x film with lens y would give the best results for this'
I tell you what, Xavier's passion for shooting and training are about 10% as big as the commitment a lot of males have to their XboX or World of Warcraft raid...and a lot healthier too.
Do anti-gunowner advocates REALLY ask "How did this sick man get a gun"?
ReplyDeleteAnd yet MikeB, who openly admits to being a criminal, will not tell us all how HE got his gun(s)
Please don't talk to you like that? Like what? I merely pointed out something that you have openly admitted to yourself on this very blog.