Why I avoid doing business in Gun Free Zones

1. Gun Free Zones are dangerous with 86% of the mass public shootings occurring in Gun Free Zones.  Some sources report this figure as 92%.  This means a mass shooting is more than 5 times more likely to occur in a Gun Free Zone.  Gun control proponents point out that many shootings occur in private homes so I must ask, do they want to ban guns in our homes too?  The real answer is yes.
2. The highest fatality shootings are in Gun Free Zones according to an FBI study of 160 shootings.  There are 7 times higher fatalities when it is necessary to wait for police arrive to stop an active shooter compared to an armed citizen being present and stopping the shooter. Combined, this means you are 35 times more likely to get shot in a Gun Free Zone than in public places that do not ban guns.
3. The highest casualty shootings in the FBI study of 160 shootings were all in Gun Free Zones.
4. Decision Makers who declare & enforce Gun Free Zones are usually negligent in their responsibility to provide adequate security when they disarm law abiding citizens, leading them to become victims.  Until there are more civil suits to hold decision makers responsible, this is likely to continue.  In some cases, business have installed metal detectors and implement searches to enforce their Gun Free Zones.  All this does is disarm law abiding citizens. 
5. The US is not the only country that has shootings. Many European countries have more and all of their shootings are in Gun Free Zones.  In fact France suffered more casualties (murders and injuries) from mass public shootings in 2015 than the US has suffered during Obama’s entire presidency (UPDATED 524 to 428) and their gun laws are far stricter than the US who has 4.9 times their population.  Further, in countries that ban guns, their total violent crime (not just shootings) goes up, not down.  Most of the big numbers of shootings that gun banners talk about are done by the police, or are suicides.
6. There are only two mass public shootings since at least 1950 that have not been part of some other crime where at least four people have been killed in an area where civilians are generally allowed to have guns.  These are the International House of Pancakes restaurant in Carson City, Nevada on September 6, 2011 and the Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011   This clearly shows that when someone decides to go out and randomly shoot people, they pick Gun Free Zones.
7. FBI data indicates that crime goes down as gun ownership goes up.  Just look at Chicago IL, where Obama was Senator.  They have some of the strictest gun laws and highest crime rates.

 It is important that we avoid Gun Free Zones and send the message that such a decision can cause businesses to lose customers.

Picture courtesy of: http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/study-92-of-mass-shootings-happen-in-gun-free-zones/

 For more information see these links:

1. http://prepperhandbook.blogspot.com/2015/11/gun-free-zone-facts.html
2. http://crimeresearch.org/2015/06/comparing-death-rates-from-mass-public-shootings-in-the-us-and-europe/
3. http://crimeresearch.org/tag/mass-public-shootings/
4. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/335739/facts-about-mass-shootings-john-fund
5. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/7/ken-blackwell-ban-gun-free-zones/
6. https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/september/fbi-releases-study-on-active-shooter-incidents/pdfs/a-study-of-active-shooter-incidents-in-the-u.s.-between-2000-and-2013
7. http://crimeresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CPRC-Mass-Shooting-Analysis-Bloomberg2.pdf
8. http://www.naturalnews.com/047378_murder_sprees_armed_citizens_FBI_report.html
9.  http://www.weeklystandard.com/is-it-true-armed-civilians-have-never-stopped-a-mass-shooting/article/690808
10.  

  This last one tells about some of the errors in the Gun Banner reports and how fact check organization said it was mostly false.

 For additional topics from the Prepper Handbook see: BLOG TABLE OF CONTENTS

at http://prepperhandbook.blogspot.com/2015/07/blog-table-of-contents.html 

New Years Resolution

Happy New Year! As a New Years resolution, lets pledge to protect our families against common disasters for our area. Events like earthquakes or severe weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, freezing cold and whatever other disasters that are likely to occur over the next few years. With all the rioting going on, we should include that too.  At the very least, put a plan in place. 

The following is an excerpt from the Prepper Handbook that can be previewed for free on Amazon.

Prepper Incremental Strategy
Now let’s talk about common sense prepping. Not going overboard or becoming obsessed, but rather build your preparations slowly over time. Few of us have unlimited funds to go out and buy everything we need at once. Therefore, we must organize, prioritize, and develop our preparations over time. I call this our Incremental Strategy Plan. As you read this book, you should develop your own plan. The following table is an excellent example to follow and can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

This table gives you several columns that represent the approximate times that you might be able to survive with no outside support. The columns and rows are in order of priority. Starting on the left is the minimum level of preparations that you should have. Start at the top row of the first column and work down. Once you achieve the first column level titled “0 – 25%, 7 days” then it is time to move across and start securing the second column of preparations titled “26 – 50%, 30 days.”  Continue this process until you are comfortable with your level of preparation.

You will notice the first item shown in the first column and first row is Ammo and at least one firearm. It doesn’t matter what preparations you have in place; you won’t be able to keep them unless you are armed.

Prepper Incremental Strategy Table

        Column 1^st priority         2^nd priority      3^rd priority      4^th priority

Prep Level &Period of time: →	0–25%7 days	26– 50%30 days	51 – 75%6 Months	76 – 98%1 Year +
Comment on potential cause, symptoms and consequences	Flu, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, chemical leak, wildfire. Power / water out a few days. Minor looting. Less than 1% population loss	Serious pandemic, massive chemical or radiation leak, wildfire, rioting & gang looting.Power / water out for weeks.Single digit population loss.	Social upheaval, terrorist or limited nuke attack, large organized gang looting. Indefinite power outage. Double digit population loss.	EMP, Economic Meltdown, hyperinflation,Organized Militia, possibly foreign “help imposing order”, confiscating weapons & supplies for the common good. 50+% population losses.
Security(1st priority row)	200 rounds of Ammo & at least one personal protection firearm. Solar Powered Lawn Lights that use AA Batteries.Crank radio & flash lights.Whistles for emergency communication.	Increase to 500 rounds of Ammo per firearm & at least 1 pistol & rifle.Add: Solar Powered Motion detection alarms (Home Brite) and Walkie Talkie Radios, CB, ham radios, trip wire, guard dog.	Increase to 1,000 rounds of Ammo per firearm.Add: at least 1 pistol & rifle per adult; Gen 3 Night Vision & a bullet proof vest for every 2 – 3 adults.	Increase to 5,000 rounds of Ammo per firearm.Add Bow & 24 Arrows for each adult; Black Powder Flintlock rifle & bullet mold.Also one Ruger or Marlin Stainless Steel .22 Rifle per Teenager.Gen 3 Night Vision (2).
Watch(2nd priority row)	Radio, TV, daily scouting in pairs / visit neighbors. Sleep with 1 eye open.	Night watchman	24 – 7 Armed Security Watch	Community Organized Constitutional law enforcement.
Air(3rd priority row)	Gas Mask per person. Recall smoke inhalation kills, not the house fire.	Add: Gas Mask for each vehicle & extra set of filters per family member.	Add: 2 NBC (Nuclear, Biological & Chemical) Suits.	Add: another extra set of filters and 2 NBC Suits.
Shelter(4th priority)	Stocked primary residence & backup tent. Outdoor barking dogs.	Add: Get out of Dodge (GOOD) pack; Neighborhood organized.	Add: remote retreat with underground shelter & sufficient fuel to get there.	Add: Security posts for community watch with good cover & communications. Restore utility services.
Water(5th priority)	1 gallon of unscented bleach per family and 7 gallons of stored water per person.	Increase to 30 gallons of stored water per person.Add: Water filtration.	Increase to two (2) gallons of bleach.Add:  renewal water source – creek, pond.	Increase to four (4) gallons of unscented bleach.Add: water distillation.
Food(6th priority)	Kitchen pantry & cabinets well stocked with your normal foods, especially dried goods and those with long shelf lives. Have a small “practice” garden and a few hand tools.	Add:  Freezer stocked with ¼ to ½ beef & commonly used frozen foods. Electric Generator and gas to run freezer. Canning book(s), water pump, matches & fire starters. Larger garden.	Add: 6 month supply of dried food for each person. 1,000 canning Jars & extra lidsGarden Seeds. Chickens & Incubator for eggs & meat. Rabbits	Increase vitamins & food supply to 12 months.Add:   Heirloom seeds & hand / garden tools for extended food production.Cows, goats, sheep, horses.
Health & Safety(7th priority)	Advanced First aid Kit.Keep plenty of vitamins & medicines. Fire protection	Add: Extra First Aid supplies like alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, triple Antibiotic cream, acetaminophen, ibuprofen & Vitamins.	Add Books – When there is no Doctor & When there is no Dentist. Expand fire protection.	Group Doctor or nurse. Trauma & surgery first aid kit. Books on nutrition.
Barter / Share(8th priority)	Cash, Water & dried foods. Extra First Aid kit(s). Extra Batteries & LED head lights  Basic first aide kits	Add: Extra first aid supplies Basic Skills, Survival & Medical Books, Bibles. Rechargeable batteries.	Add:  Extra ammo in common calibers.Extra Stainless Steel 22 Rifles to arm trusted neighbors.	Add: US Silver &/or Gold coins. Organized weekly community barter & swap events.Extra Hand & Gardening Tools.
Extras(9th priority)	Quality AC inverter (120 volt Plug) for your car(s). Police Scanner, can openers. Pet food.	Several 5 Gal Cans of Gas & maps. Propane (long shelf life), Kerosene & Lamps. Para Cord (Mil Std 8 ply).	Solar power system,  hand water pump, rain water collection, grain grinder,	Trauma and Surgical Kit, home school books, encyclopedia, fish nets, and Alternate resort off site stores cached for retreat plan.

This table is an example to present the incremental strategy concept. The actual priorities may vary depending on your situation. If you live near a nuclear power plant, NBC (Nuclear, Biological & Chemical) Suits are a higher priority. If you live near a chemical plant, refinery, or areas with frequent wild fires, then Gas Masks & extra filters become a higher priority. If you live in a crowded area with no place to go (Bug Out), then you need more security and motion detection, community organization and weapons to share with neighbors for strength in numbers.  See the post Urban Survival Plan

For additional information see the following links:

Blog Table of Contents

Best Hand Gun Selection Criteria

The perfect handgun would be light, compact, fit your hand well, be very accurate, quite, hold lots of high powered rounds with a lot of knock down power, but not have much kick/recoil.  Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the perfect gun for all occasions.  However, it is possible to select an excellent gun for a given purpose. When selecting a personal handgun, here are some key things to consider. 
 

A. Intended use - this helps determine the size.

1. Personal concealed carry - in your pocket, in a purse or on your person.   This calls for a small, light-weight, thin gun with a smooth shape so it can be easily extracted.  Note small guns may not fit larger hands well and the short barrel makes more noise and is less accurate.
2. Open carry, home or car defense.  For this, you can select a larger weapon that fits your hand well, has more rounds and less recoil than a lighter weapon.  Large guns may not fit smaller hands well, but there are intermediate size guns that are a good compromise.  They are also heavier and a bit cumbersome to carry at times.  For a home protection gun, a safety might be an important consideration, especially if there are children in the home however law enforcement personnel often prefer not to have one as it can delay being able to use your weapon.
3. Professional Use - Law enforcement needs a Glock 22 or a Smith & Wesson M&P40 Pistol, both 40 caliber, with a small automatic as a backup concealed gun. The backup might be a Glock 27 or an S&W Shield, both of which use the same ammo.
4. Target practice and recreational shooting only.  For this, you need a 22 Long Rifle (LR) pistol which is the most common and lowest cost ammunition.  The stainless steel Ruger Mark III is a good choice for this. There are also some revolvers with interchangeable cylinders so you can shoot 22 LR and 22 Magnum; a good example is the Ruger Single Six #0626. This provides for a low cost 22 LR target pistol and a higher powered 22 Winchester Magnum pistol with some suitability for personal defense making it a dual purpose gun. It is also a lot of fun to shoot a gun like the ones that won the old west.

B. Frequency of use - This determines whether an Automatic or Revolver might be best.

1. Semi-frequent - If the gun will be shot, cleaned and oil several times per year, an Automatic is an excellent choice. It holds more rounds of ammo and is faster to reload.  Automatics are the top choice of law enforcement for their primary gun although some hot, humid, tropical countries still carry stainless steel Revolvers.
2. In-frequent -  The gun is likely to be initially shot a few times, but then probably put away and not shot, cleaned nor oiled for years.  A stainless steel Revolver can be stuffed in a purse, sock drawer or car glove compartment and left for years and it will not rust or jam up and will still shoot reliably. In this case, the ammo is more likely to fail unless you have chrome or nickle plated bullets like the Hornady Critical Defense and Critical Duty or Winchester Silver Tips.  Brass and steel casings will oxidize and are a little more likely to cause a problem in Automatics than Revolvers.

A revolver can shoot the first load of ammo faster than an Automatic in skilled hands, but the Automatic is faster for the average shooter.  The Revolver is slightly slower to reload, even with speed loaders but is slightly more reliable although many would disagree.  

C. Size and strength of shooter - This helps determine the caliber.

1. Small build & hands, weak arms suggests a 22 Magnum, 25 caliber, 32 caliber or 380 pistol.  The 380 is popular for women shooters. These sizes do not kick much but also do not have much knock-down power, so it is likely to require several shots to stop an attacker. There are some revolvers with interchangeable cylinders so you can shoot 22 LR and 22 Magnum; a good example is the Ruger Single Six #0626.
2. Medium build & hands, average arm strength, allows the shooter to carry a more powerful gun.  Consider a 38 special, 380 or 9mm, which is the most common caliber globally. These have about a 60% probability of a one shot stop, so two shots per attacker should be planned.
3. Large hands, strong arms.  The largest and most powerful calibers become an option here.  Consider a 357 Magnum, 40 caliber, which is the most common police caliber in the US, or the 45 caliber that was the most popular for many years and is still common.  These three have a 70% to 90% probability of a one-shot stop.  Note that a 357 Magnum will also shoot 38 special ammo for lower cost target practice. You might consider larger calibers if you select the larger, heavier gun, or consider a smaller caliber if you are selecting a smaller gun and don't like a gun that kicks.

The most common handguns used by law enforcement where the agency buys the gun is the Smith & Wesson 40 cal M&P and where the officer buys the gun, the most popular choice is a Glock, often a Glock 17 (9 mm) or a Glock 22 (40 cal). These two brands probably represent about 80% of the law enforcement weapons. These would be my first choices for an open carry, home or car defense gun, providing it will be shot, cleaned and oil several times per year.  If it is likely to be locked in my car glove compartment for years, I would select the S&W 686+ stainless steel Revolver. 

Let's look at a good choice for a concealed carry gun for a person who is not a regular shooter.  Below is a stainless steel Smith & Wesson 38 special Revolver, also known as a snub nose Revolver.  Many police officers carry this as a hidden backup gun. A Smith & Wesson Shield would be a good Automatic choice. A small gun is better than no gun at all and a gun that is too big to carry comfortably is likely to be left at home and worthless.  So it is better to err on the small comfortable side.

Cheaper than Dirt, a good source for ammo, guns and supplies, published a list of popular concealed Automatic weapons that can be found at: The 12 Best Concealed Carry Guns. These guns range from $230 to $994 with several in the lower price range.  There is also a list of runner up guns that are good candidates including Kahr Arms which I respect.  One concern I have with this list is that it contains a few gun brands that I've had problems with; problems like frequent feed jams (Automatics) and cracked frames.  I'm a big fan of stainless steel guns so they don't rust up when stored for years without being cleaned and oiled.  I also highly recommend that you go to the shooting range to rent and shoot the gun of choice to be sure you like it, BEFORE buying it. This will help avoid buyer regret later on. 

If you get an Automatic handgun, I recommend having at least 4 magazines; two that are kept loaded and two spares that are "resting" the magazine spring.  Then each time you go shooting, rotate your active magazines with your spares so the springs do not get worn out. If you choose a Revolver, I suggest four speed loaders but you can keep them all fully loaded at all times since there is no spring to wear out.

In summary, the selection of a personal carry handgun should consider a range of properties and select the best combination for you.  The graphic below explains the relationship fairly well.

I would be anxious to hear any suggestions or considerations that have been missed, so please post any comments or questions you may have.

For more information see:
BLOG TABLE OF CONTENTS
The right amount of Ammo 
Terrorist Attack - Best Preparations 
Gun Free Zone Facts