BOLO [Reward]: Stolen Plate Carrier, Ammo, FAKs (Houston)

Today I present a request (and cautionary tale) to the internets on behalf of a friend.  For those of you in the Houston area please Be On the Look Out (BOLO) for a plate carrier and kit that was stolen from my buddy’s car about two weeks ago on April 23rd, 2013.  [He only recently told me.]  I realize that the recovery of it an extreme long shot but I wanted to do something to help and maybe something positive will come of it.

Here’s the list of gear taken:

• Tactical Assault Gear Banshee rifle plate carrier (Multicam)
• RMA Supply Level III ceramic armor plate (large; 10” x 12”)
• Condor Triple Kangaroo mag shingle (Multicam)
• (6) Magpul Maglevel P-mags (FDE) each with Original Magpul (FDE)
• (3) Glock-brand G19 15 rd magazines

Ammo:

• 180 rounds of 5.56x45mm Federal 62 gr Green Tip Penetrator (loaded in P-mags; 6 x 30)
• (10) 20 boxes of 5.56x45mm Federal American Eagle
• (3) 50 rd boxes of Winchester ‘white box’ .45 ACP
• (5) 20 rd boxes of Remington .22-250
• (3) 50 rd boxes of CCI Blazer 9mm

Medical:

• (1) Chinook Medic Kit (TMK-KE) Multicam – completely stocked
• (1) Chinook Individual Operator Kit (TMK-IO) Multicam – completely stocked
• Additional Celox gauze, packs and injector

All of this was in his car but not visible from the outside; the car was parked on the street near his residence in the Midtown/Museum District of Houston, Texas.  The items were actually in a cardboard box with clothes piled on top of it.  There were no overt signs of forced entry (no broken windows) and the car was locked prior to the theft.  The police believe specialized tools (slim jim?) were used to gain entry.  The car is not a luxury model, it does not have any expensive mods or options and is as mundane as any other.  It does did have a single sticker on the back, though.  A basic NRA membership sticker.

The thieves realizing their windfall, returned about 1 week later and gained entry to his wife’s car hoping for another score.

Hindsight being what it is, the take-away of this tale is to Respect the Gray.

1. Don’t Advertise – even a small identifier such as a sticker can mark you for theft or attack.
2. Secure your kit – concealment is not enough; car locks are not secure.

I’ve been thinking of ways to secure gear in a car and if you choose to store it there, my recommendation would be a Pelican or similar rugged case to contain the gear.  Preferable the case should be in the trunk (if your car has one) locked with Abloy padlocks and tethered with hardened steel security chain to an anchor attached to the frame.  Some vehicles with removable seats have convenient anchors already.

I can’t offer much but I am personally offering a reward of (2) bricks [1000 rounds] of precious .22 long rifle ammunition* for information leading to the return of the above items; If you can help please send an email to Projectilist AT Gmail

Thank you.

(*and the satisfaction and peace of mind of having helped your fellow man)

Hunkered Down; Range Trip Delayed

Well, my plans to wring out the new M&P trigger have been torpedoed by a Honest to God Texas Gully Washer (HTGTGW) here in the Bayou City.  It’s as dark as pitch out there and when the signal on my AM radio gets through the static of all the lightning strikes just about all I hear is the Emergency Broadcast System messages.

Which reminds me of this:

We’ve got flash flood warnings, tornado watches, etc.  I cleared my morning schedule so I could go shoot but even with the 4×4 standing by, I will heed the warnings and hunker down for a while. Because although I trust myself to navigate to the streets to an indoor range and back, it’s a sure thing my route will be blocked by the nimrods that will gladly try and ford a submerged intersection with a subcompact sporting low profile rims.

Instead, I think I’ll take a glass of fresh ice tea out to the porch and meditate to the constant roll of thunder and occasional transformer explosion.  Is it too early for a Margarita?

Until Monday, let me plant this groove in your head:

If that don’t make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, you need a Margarita yourself.

 

NRA Annual Meetings 2013: Send Me Your LiveBlog Requests

I will be attending multiple days of the NRA Annual Meetings in Houston, Texas (May 3-5th, 2013) and am offering to post pictures, Q&A answers, mini-reviews, etc. for my readers.  The Annual Meetings convention is like an ‘Everyman’s S.H.O.T. Show’ with hundreds of manufacturers displaying their products.  If you want a particular product picture, want a nebulous description of what it feels like in the hand or just want to know what Roy Jinks favorite ice cream flavor is let me know.  Just leave your request in the comments to this post and I will try my best to respond to as many as I can each day.

Turn It Up: “Come And Take It” by Steve Vaus

You have to hear this:

I looked up this song after hearing a brief clip on the Michael Berry show and now I have it stuck in my head in the best way.  The artist, Steve Vaus, also has 60 second TV and radio spots featuring this song that he is trying to buy air time for.  If you would like to donate to the cause or just buy the song (or album) go here.

Ted Nugent vs Piers Morgan

Ted Brings his ‘A’ game.  Heh.

I’ll admit that for a couple of reasons, I purposely did not watch Musket Morgan’s show last night.  Those reasons are:

1) I don’t have cable.  [Thank you, Dave Ramsey.]

2) If I did have cable, I wouldn’t want to be personally responsible for an additional percent gain in Morgan’s ratings.

[Updated] Please, No! Piers Morgan vs. Jeremy Alcede

When I heard last week that Piers ‘Musket‘ Morgan was coming to my home state of Texas to interview berate and spew his anti-rights bigotry and hate-filled invective at a gun range owner, I had the passing though of, “Good Lord, I hope it’s not at Jeremy Alcede’s place.”

Well, 740 AM KTRH carried the story this morning that, yes indeed, the interview will happen at Tactical Firearms in Katy, Texas.  *Sigh*

Do you think that Morgan’s peeps had the wherewithal to Google ‘Jeremy Alcede’ before tonight?  Most likely they did and the results aren’t pretty.  Heck, my article on Alcede is third on the list.

For those that aren’t deeply involved in the gun blogosphere, let me state that Jeremy Alcede is far, far from the best spokesman to represent the pro-2A side.  At best, he’s not an expert; he’s a businessman.  Unfortunately, his method of promoting his business is to offer himself as an expert when he hasn’t the skill, experience or knowledge required to state a pro-gun position effectively.  Instead, Alcede seems to be the guy that ‘goes with his gut’, trusting that because he has (so far) been financially successful, he therefore must be an expert.*  Naturally, I don’t have high expectations about tonight’s ‘interview’ but maybe, just maybe, it will turn out alright.  Yeah, and maybe I’m a Chinese jet pilot.

Thank goodness, nobody watches CNN.

[*I guess you could say the same about Piers Morgan…]

Update: On a whim, I took time to go down to Tactical Firearms see what all was going on there and saw, and heard, Matt Patrick (950 AM) doing his show live from the store.  Mr. Patrick has announced that Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott and ‘Uncle Ted’ Nugent will also be on the Piers Morgan show tonight.  So, it looks like Jeremy Alcede will have skilled back-up while on the air.  Thank goodness.

Additionally, Mr. Alcede spoke with Matt on air for a while and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.  Mr. Alcede was well spoken, articulate and modest.  He said that Mr. Morgan admitted to not having fired a gun in about ten years and he hopes to let  Mr. Morgan have some range time.

As a side note, there were several guys in full kit (chest rigs with plates, mag pouches, radios, etc.) toting various long guns (a M1A SOCOM, a AR-15 SBR, an AK variant).  Mr. Alcede said on air that they are his employees and all former military that are providing event security for the guests.

Update 2:  Matt Patrick has Piers Morgan on the radio as I’m typing and Matt fell for Piers’ opening straw man argument asking “Why should people be allowed to own rocket launchers?” Now he’s having to defend the false argument. Crowd is getting rowdy.

Matt: 1) It’s not about need.  2) It’s not about rocket launchers, there are no proposed law changes regarding rocket launchers.  No mass shootings have occurred with rocket launchers. 3) Piers is talking about ‘gun violence’; change it to ‘violence’. Ask him if it is morally preferable to have a victim killed by a hammer or cricket bat.  Why focus on the tool?  Come on, man.  Ask why law abiding citizens should surrender Rights for the actions of criminals.  Better yet, ridicule him.  Ask about muskets.  Ask about similar restrictions on 1st Amendment rights: waiting periods before publishing, government approved licenses, limits on number of articles, rollbacks on technologic and ergonomic advances – Why should it be so easy to publish and distribute information?  Why do you need a video camera?  The quill pen and movable type presses were the intention of the Founding Fathers; they couldn’t have envisioned computers, cable TV, the internet, etc.

Never mind, the show is over.

Update 3: Michael Berry on 740 AM has some harsh words for Piers Morgan’s desperate attempt at ratings and also said that five other area gun ranges refused to participate.  Good for them.

Would You Train at a Place Named ‘Crossfire’?

Crossfire Training – Concealed Handgun License Classes

I have to admit that the first thing I thought when I saw this was, “In a crossfire is the last place I’d want to be.”

Here’s Google’s definition:

cross·fire

noun /ˈkrôsˌfīr/
crossfires, plural

Gunfire from two or more directions passing through the same area, often killing or wounding noncombatants

• – a photographer was killed in the crossfire.  [I wonder if it was James Yeager’s photographer… -Bullet]
  

However, from the descriptions on their website they look like a pretty good outfit that covers all bases, makes things convenient, and puts forth extra effort to elevate the class beyond what may sometimes feel like being stuck in detention.  It certainly can’t be the worst I’ve ever attended.*  My CHL doesn’t expire for a while, but when I need to renew maybe I’ll make the drive to check them out just because they piqued my interest on whether they deliver on what they promise.

[* I need to write about that class sometime.]

Nov 8, 2011 Election: Texas (& Harris Co) Voter Resources

The King Street Patriots have a handy list of resources, including a rundown and explanation of the Texas Constitutional Amendments on the ballot.

Go vote, people.

 

Pro-Gun Texas Police Dept Teaches Concealed Carry for $10

How’s this for a slice of AWESOME?

Due to a backlog of applicants waiting to take the Texas state required Concealed Handgun License (CHL) course, the Oak Ridge North Police Department (just North of Houston) was given permission by the City Council to teach the class.   God Bless Texas!

From The Courier of Montgomery County:

The demand for concealed handgun licenses is on the upswing, and a local police department is meeting the need to teach people how to exercise their right responsibly.

The trend is widespread across Texas, and most people are attributing the increase to the presidential election of Barack Obama because people started fearing their right to bear arms may be limited under the new administration.

…

Montgomery County is no different than the rest of the state. The state granted 1,892 CHLs to county residents between Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2008. For the same period from 2008 to 2009, with two months to go, 2,464 have been granted to residents, which is a 30 percent increase.

The Oak Ridge North Police Department started receiving questions from residents earlier this year about where they could receive CHL classes. In an effort to help them exercise their right, the ORN City Council gave the Police Department permission to begin classes.Four residents attended the September class, and 10 completed the October class. The next class runs Nov. 12-14 and costs $10. Students are required to provide their own handgun and be familiar with gun safety, maintenance and operation.

Oak Ridge North Police Chief Andy Walters recognizes that offering the course is not common practice among police departments, but to him, it makes perfect sense.

“I have a deep-seated belief that people should exercise their right responsibly, and who better to help them do it than the police department?” Walters said.

A city council gives their pro-gun police chief and his department the go ahead to teach concealed carry to the public for $10?  Where else in the world will you hear that?!

Anyone supporting this just might want to send a ‘Thank You’ note to the Oak Ridge North City Council and Police Department (click the links for contact info).

Changes to Texas CHL Law – Showing ID to Cops

As of September 1st, 2009 several laws regarding concealed handgun licenses go into effect.  One of these changes eliminates the penalty for failing to show a licensee’s CHL to a police officer when identification is requested.

The Houston Comical has a story about this:

A small change in concealed handgun laws has created safety concerns among Houston police officers who work the streets.

The new law removes the penalty for failing to show a police officer a concealed handgun license (CHL) when stopped by an officer who asks for identification. The law went into effect Sept. 1. Previously, if a person was carrying a hidden weapon and failed to present the CHL, they could lose the license for one year.

Houston police officers suggested that licensed handgun holders continue to show their credentials, even if not required to by the law. It will defuse any potential problems or miscommunications, they said.

In response to the article:

Yes, the penalty is removed but CHL holders still have a legal requirement to show their ‘other’ license if a police officer requests their ID.

I have spoken personally with a Texas Highway Patrol officer regarding this (at night on the side of a road, actually).  He told me that the annotation to your ‘file’ when pulled up on his computer simply places an asterisk next to your name. The asterisk notation is used to indicate that more information on the person exists. Unfortunately, the asterisk is not only used to identify CHL holders, but people with outstanding warrants too.

Somewhat of a conflict, right?  It’s hard to fault an officer for having a gut defensive reaction to seeing that ‘*‘ next to a name.  They do come in contact with the worst of our society very regularly and the cops want to go home safe every night.  How would you react if something flagged the person you are about to have contact with is either one of the safest people in town or one of the most dangerous?

With that in mind, I suggest that when complying with the requirement to inform the officer of your CHL, you include this specific verbiage: “I have a permit.”

Do not say: “I have a gun.”

It’s just good manners.