Speak softly and carry a Gatling gun

I've been on a TR kick lately and the following episode of Deadliest Warrior held my attention (which is an accomplishment lately):
Full episode here on Spike.

I've watched an episode or two of this show, but this was the only one that held my interest all the way to the end. And that was mostly due to me wanting TR to be victorious (no offense intended to the memory of T.E. Lawrence, mind you). When the experts were tallying up the stats to feed into their sim, I was leery of Teddy's success. However, given that Spike is  the Manly American TV network, I was not surprised with the result.

What I did find highly subjective was the inputs for the simulation. I know they claimed it to run ⁿ variants of the scenario, but the rating of weapons and such seemed pretty biased to me. And, it was based off one particular battle. Using this methodology, one could have easily made Lee victor over Grant in the Civil War. And while that may have statistically been possible, the battlefield does not lend it self to statistics.

Using another "battlefield" as an example: Auburn should not be in the National Championship this year (NB: I am an Auburn fan). Statistically, as was pointed out numerous times by announcers during the Alabama and Missouri games, Auburn has no defense, and only has one offensive play with three variants. But they are headed to the BSC National Championship. Had they been run through the Deadliest Warrior sim against Alabama, they would have went down in flames. The sim could not, in any way without factoring in every variable, have accounted for Alabama's kicker whiffing the field goal attempt to only have Auburn return it for a 109 yard touch down. As my wife can attest (but probably wouldn't as an Alabama fan), I sarcastically called Auburn by six before the start of the game. Did I know more than the statistics that were in play against Auburn's chance of success? No, I had the non-statistical, non-sensical aspiration of hope, a variable that no simulation can account for.

And likewise with my desire for TR to win the fight against Lawrence. Both are excellent examples of great men. However, I'm an American, so I wanted to see my guy win. I got the impression from that episode that might have been the desire of the producers, or the anticipated expectation of the audience, as well. The author of this post has also noticed a bias on the part of the series toward Americans. Everybody wants the home team to win, and I can only imagine a British version of the show might have ended differently.

Guns don't kill...

They jumpstart cars!

Thanks to The Firearm Blog for sharing.

The ultimate self-defense weapon

Liechtenstein: the most gun-violent country in the world?

Just to show how much fun it is to manipulate statistics for one's own purpose, according to the Guardian, Liechtenstein has the highest percentage of homicides by firearm in the world.

Yes, you read that correctly, the Principality of Liechtenstein[1]. How can this be? How is tiny little Liechtenstein so violent that it topped the list? One poor soul was gunned down in the data collection period, the only homicide that was recorded. Statistics are wonderful. You present the parts you want with big graphs and then leave the rest in footnotes no one reads.

Of course, this statistic is unfair and misrepresentative. According to the U.S. State Department:

Liechtenstein has a low crime rate. You should be careful on trains, especially on overnight trains to neighboring countries. Thieves, who steal from passengers while they sleep, can enter even locked sleeping compartments. Thieves have been known to work in pairs to target train passengers; while one member of the pair creates a diversion at a train window or on a platform, the other steals items you have left briefly unattended.

So what is the point I am trying to make by all this? None in particular, just throwing out a post title for Google to index. Someone will see it in a search result and do a double-take. Liechtenstein violent? No! Really? Then they will read this little screed and curse me for wasting their time. If it causes anyone to be a statistic skeptic, then I have made my point.

~~~

[1] My apologies to H.S.H. Prince Hans-Adam II, H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois, and the citizens of his this beautiful nation. It is not my intention to besmirch the reputation of their homeland. Conversely, I want to bring positive attention to it.

Liechtenstein has a total area of 61 square miles and a population of ±36,000 people. By comparison, Decatur, Alabama, which is 64.9 square miles and a population of ±55,000, had three murders in that same year. I wasn't able to determine how many of the three murders were committed with a firearm, but I would feel safe in assuming all of them. Having grown up in the area, I consider Decatur a fairly safe town, with a few neighborhoods to avoid. Other than the Old State Bank, there's not a lot to see in Decatur and unlike Liechtenstein, it isn't wedged between Switzerland and Austria in some of the most beautiful country in Europe. I'm sure there are better towns to contrast Liechtenstein to, but I am going with what I know.

All work and no play...

Some temptations are just too great for mere mortal men to resist:

Muscle Shoals police officer on administrative leave, accused of shooting deer on duty: A Muscle Shoals police officer is accused of shooting a deer on TVA property while on duty Sunday, according to The Times' news partner, WHNT news 19.

 I have to admit that I feel sympathy for Officer Scoggins. Given that the TVA is a federally owned corporation, one would assume that hunting would be permitted on it, and per a page the TVA site, hunting is considered alongside other recreation activities. Hunting on TVA lands is also discussed on this forum, with the consensus there being that it is permissable.

I'm not a hunter, so I am not well versed on hunting laws in Alabama, but I am an anachronist (not anarchist), so I am inclined to support the notion that public lands, and most of TVA property should fit that definition, should be available for public use.

So if hunting is allowed, what is Officer Scoggins crime? Was engaging in personal affairs during work hours? This would be quite an extreme example of such, but again, hearkening back several generations, I think this wouldn't have been given a second glance in our glorious "Mayberry" days. What would Sheriff Andy Taylor have done? Ol' Andy would have bagged it and tagged it and invited all of his friends over to enjoy that with which the Lord had provided. There would have been deer barbeque, potato salad, and sweet tea for all.

Unfortunately, we don't live in that simple time anymore. We live in a complicated world where everything has multiple consequences and simple actions have complicated responses. Was Officer Scoggins wrong to shoot the deer? I don't know. One can only hope that someone swooped in to gather the carcass and turn it into something tasty.

Henry Repeating Arms recovery effort

I got the following email from Henry Repeating Arms and thought I would share it:

Dear Valued Henry Customers, We are pleased to report that we are well on our way to a full recovery from the significant damage sustained from Hurricane Sandy. More than 100 pieces of manufacturing machinery that were damaged by salt water are on track to be repaired or replaced by December 1st. We expect to be fully operational by the beginning of December and have already begun shipping Henry rifles to our distributors.

Anthony Imperato, President of the company states, "This is a painstaking process. We've had to replace motors, circuit boards, pumps, coolant tanks, and more. Some of our most expensive sophisticated machinery was damaged beyond repair and had to be replaced outright. We are getting through this with the help of some very talented people including our own staff and we're on track to emerge stronger with increased manufacturing capacity". Sincerely, Anthony Imperato President Henry Repeating Arms Henry Repeating Arms is one of the country's leading rifle manufacturers. Their legendary name dates back to 1860 when Benjamin Tyler Henry invented and patented the first practical repeating rifle during the Civil War. It became known as the "gun you could load on Sunday and shoot all week long." Henry rifles went on to play a significant role in the frontier days of the American West and soon became one of the most legendary, respected and sought after rifles in the history of firearms. The company's primary manufacturing facility is in Bayonne, New Jersey and they have a second facility in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

1842 Vampire Hunting Kit

From the Firearm Blog:

1842 Vampire Hunting Kit:
A reader spotted an auction at Gunbroker.com for a vampire hunting kit produced in 1842. The kit contains a crude percussion lock pistol, four silver bullets (engraved with crosses) and a powerhorn along with numerous other quintessential anti-vampire accessories such as wooden stakes, a bible, a mirror and a crucifix.
 

I think the gun industry of the 1800s missed an excellent marketing opportunity. As far as I know there were no Winchester Model 1894 carbines engraved with vampires or shipped from the factory with silver bullets. Just think how much money Mr. John Moses Browning could have made if he had jumped on the vampire craze.

I imagine that 150 years from now people are going to marvel at the piles of anti-zombie gear found in old attics and conclude we all lived in fear of a zombie uprising.

[ Many thanks to ColonelColt for the tip. ]

Of Gangsters and Duellists

I've never considered a correlation between the stereotypical sideways grip of a gangster and a dueling, but the article below makes such a thought plausible:

Super Modified Gangster Grip:
Matt Steele teaches the Gangster Grip, Modified Gangster Grip and Super Modified Gangster Grip.

Jon Davis, a Marine Corps weapons instructor, posted a long article on Quora in which he suggested that gangsters hold their gun sideways due to the mistaken belief that you can aim faster that way ...


I am a former Marine Corps marksmanship instructor. I specialized in pistols and have fired these weapons thousands of times. That said, the thought has crossed my mind. The answer didn't come to me until another coach (from the "hood") gave me a good reason why this technique would be used. In practice it actually does utilize one very important sighting practice, but fails overall. This is a good idea in theory, but fails miserably in the actual execution.

My theory is that gangsters shoot poorly on purpose. They need to be seen to be dangerous to both their comrades and to their enemies but the cost of actually killing someone is very high (prison and/or retaliation).

If a gangster is obliged to shoot at another gangster, he is much better off not just missing but also signalling to his opponent that he is not trying to actually trying to kill him. Holding a pistol sideways like an idiot is one way to signal intent to miss. Holding an AR-15 with an EOTech while wearing a ballistic vest signals the opposite.

The practice of shooting at someone with the intention of missing goes back to the days of duels. To delope is to throw away a shot. Alexander Hamilton infamously let it be known that he intended to delope during his duel with Vice President Aaron Burr, but Burr shot him dead anyway.


Eugene Onegin and Vladimir Lensky's duel by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin [ Many thanks to jdun1911 & mrsatyre for emailing me the tip. ]

 There are different systems of honor that many of us would not consider honorable in the least, but honor is a subjective concept. We must accept, or at least acknowledge that there are different codes (Pirate code, honor among thieves, etc.) that are incompatible with our particular moral beliefs. Truth may be absolute, but morals and honor are interpretable.

But back to the article, why use a flimsy, inaccurate grip as a way to delope? It's not spelled out in the article above, but it is a way to save face while maintaining that hardcore "gangsta" persona. It's primal. It is staring in the face of death and hoping ones adversary desires life as well.

Historically, most duels were a show of honor that one hoped would not result in death (my interpretation), although many did. They were also by and large subject to a Code Duello with resolution mechanisms built in to avoid the duel if at all possible. The code was not law, but it was ingrained in the system of honor.

As the 19th century rolled on, duelists turned pugilists (the increased lethality of pistols probably was a huge contributor) put down their arms and put up their fists to resolve disputes. The era saw the Code Duello evolve into the Marquess of Queensbury Rules for boxing.

As time passed, even boxing to resolve disputes was seen as a barbaric means of maintaining one's honor. In a world of email flaming and nasty Facebook posts, I can see a place for dueling, but in a non-lethal and acceptable fashion. Here is my proposal for when one's honor has been sullied by an adversary:

• Obtain a copy of John Lyde Wilson's The Code of Honor (print, ebook).
• Read the book and try to settle the dispute without violence. Have your second handle the negotiations. You do have a good friend to be your second, don't you?
• If that doesn't work, buy a pair of identical paint ball guns, an inexpensive model like this would fit the bill well. Don't forget the safety gear. 
• Abide by the rules. Don't be a brigand.
• After the affair is settled and your honor is secured, sit down with your "adversary" and your respective seconds for a cup of tea or whatever. Enjoy the fact that you've resolved your matter in a good old fashioned duel and nobody had to die. You might have a bruise for a day or two if your opponent had a well placed shot, but you both get to go home to your families with your egos intact.

[Update: 17 October 2012]

A colleague pointed out that my idea is not that novel. Retronaut documents a 1909 duel where wax bullets were used.

Say hello to my little friend Rusty

If the lead doesn't kill you the tetanus will:

Guns of the modern pirate:
In 2010 the Russian tanker Moscow University was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The Russia anit-submarine ship Marshal Shaposhnikov was nearby and quickly recaptured the tanker. The Somali pirates were carry the usual gear, rusted AK rifles (with no stocks) and RPGs.
 

 


Apparently the guns were in working order and well oiled inside.


After the ship was captured the pirates were patched up by medics, given food and water and then released.
 

Many more photos at Twower.
[ Many thanks to Andrey for the tip. ]