Chutzpah Redefined: Gun rights advocates following the Fort Hood tragedy undoubtedly realize how preventable it was, and how the media refuses to ask the right questions, specifically: * Why yet another massacre was perpetrated in yet another "gun free" zone; * Why members of America's military are disarmed and left to depend on the arrival of civilian police officers; and finally, * Why the press seems so confused about the motives of shooter Moslem psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan, who argued with others against Middle East war policy, had previously been investigated by the FBI for Internet postings equating suicide bombers with soldiers who sacrifice themselves to save others, who described his nationality as "Palestinian" despite being American-born, and who committed the atrocity while yelling "Allahu Akbar!" ...But it takes a special kind of Chutzpah to exploit the massacre of military personnel as justification for depriving those very same military personnel of due process of law. Remarkably, that is exactly what the Violence Policy Center (VPC) and Handgun Control, Inc. (a/k/a/ "The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence") did yesterday in attacking S. 669, the "Veteran's 2nd Amendment Protection Act," introduced by Senator Richard Burr (NC)... http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m11d7-Gun-foes-exploit-Ft-Hood-tragedy-to-subvert-vets-rights --- One of Those Other Safety Rules: Anyone who has taken a hunter-education course will recall having to memorize one or more lists of safety rules so long that they were not practical to store in long-term memory. A few decades ago, Jeff Cooper sought to simplify things and consolidated the most crucial material into the Four Rules. However, there are clearly other rules and we sometimes neglect to think of some simply because they seem like common sense. One of these is only to chamber rounds of the appropriate caliber (or gauge) for the firearm. Here we have the results of inadvertently inserting a .308 cartridge into a .25-06 chamber. For those who may not be familiar with the rounds, the .308 is essentially a shortened .30-06 (7.62x51mm versus 7.62x63mm) while the .25-06 is a .30-06 necked down to take a bullet with a diameter of 0.257" as opposed to one of 0.308". Thus, while a .30-06 round would not have chambered in this barrel, the shorter .308 round did, with catastrophic consequences. The chances of this sort of mishap increase when more than one chambering of firearm and/or more than one caliber of ammunition are present simultaneously. In this case, the firearm appears to have been a single-shot Thompson-Center, one of whose selling points is the ability to swap barrels of different chamberings on the same receiver. The US Park Police, which has an indoor range complex in DC, will not allow more than one caliber of ammunition on one of its ranges at a time. Instructors who teach students with privately owned firearms may not have that luxury. Extra caution is required whenever non-matching ammo is present on a range. Smaller rounds can slide into the barrels of firearms chambered for larger rounds, causing obstructions. (Registration [free] may be required to view the linked page.) http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/108029-308-down-257-tube-hurts-like-hell-ugly-pics.html --- From Force Science Research Center: I. Emergency docs on excited delirium: "Yes, it's for real!" It's now official: In a move strongly supportive of law enforcement, a special investigative task force of the American College of Emergency Physicians has formally declared that the violent and sometimes lethal phenomenon known as "excited delirium" really does exist. Some police critics have insisted that ED is nothing more than a convenient concept "manufactured" by law enforcement to cover-up brutality and exonerate authorities when a suspect is roughly arrested or dies in custody. But after a thorough review of available research, the ACEP group affirms in a recent White Paper that ED is "a unique syndrome" that may not be identified in autopsies but that can be recognized in the field by "a distinctive group of clinical and behavioral characteristics." The task force has presented its report to ACEP's directors but at this writing, it has not yet been publicly released. Force Science News obtained a copy after learning of its existence at the recent IACP conference in Denver. The report makes clear that the psycho-physiological meltdown known as ED is not always fatal. Indeed, given an appropriate collaboration by responding officers and EMS personnel, the condition might be "amenable to early therapeutic intervention," the document speculates. But, refreshingly, the task force acknowledges the daunting and controversial challenges involved in an ED encounter from a police perspective. "LEOs are in the difficult and sometimes impossible position of having to recognize this as a medical emergency, attempting to control an irrational and physically resistive person, and minding the safety of all involved" in a situation that has "degenerated to such a degree" that authorities have been called to deal with it, the paper states. "Given the irrational and potentially violent, dangerous, and lethal behavior of an ExDS [excited delirium syndrome] subject, any LEO interaction...risks significant injury or death to either the LEO or the ExDS subject." These cases may draw "intense public scrutiny, coupled with the expectation of a perfect outcome. Anything less creates...potential public outrage. Unfortunately, this dangerous medical situation makes perfect outcomes difficult in many circumstances." "This paper could be the genesis of a new understanding of the complex issues involved in excited delirium," says Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of Force Science. "The report is the clearest and most important effort yet to describe the true nature off this syndrome and the kind of difficulties officers encounter in trying to deal with it on the street. "Law enforcement authorities can use this document as an important reference source for the media and the general public at the time of an ED crisis and can also make it familiar to medical examiners, coroners, and ER physicians who may not be current with the latest professional literature on the subject. "Within the last 12 months, I encountered a coroner in a major jurisdiction who flatly denied the existence of excited delirium or anything like it. So there is no doubt that the ACEP's findings are timely and desperately needed." The task force was formed last year in response to increased reports and media coverage of "sudden deaths in severely agitated subjects" and a lack of "clarity and consistency" within the medical community about the nature and causes of these fatalities. Eighteen emergency physicians and 1 PhD researcher and neurology professor were named to the group, with a mandate to determine whether ED actually exists as an "entity," and, if so, "whether it could be better defined, identified, and treated." Among the task force members was Dr. Matthew Sztajnkrycer, chairman of emergency medicine research at the Mayo Clinic and a technical advisor to the Force Science Research Center. The group's White Paper is intended to "raise awareness" of ED among the public and medical personnel and to help law enforcement, corrections officers, EMS personnel, and health care providers "identify best practices to deal with this true medical emergency." It includes a bibliography of 58 articles on the subject from professional publications. [Click here to read a report on the White Paper in Emergency Medical News, based on an interview with the group's chair, Dr. Mark DeBard, professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State University College of Medicine. According to the group's findings, ED, under various names, has been reported in medical circles for more than 150 years, often with a high mortality rate. In the 1980s, "there was a dramatic increase in the number of reported cases," the White Paper says. Most "were found to be associated with the...abuse of cocaine," as well as other illicit stimulant "drugs of abuse," such as meth and PCP. Among cocaine users, an ED onset "usually appears to occur in the context of a cocaine binge that follows a long history of cocaine abuse," the report says. A history of psychiatric illness is reported in a "distinctly smaller" portion of ED subjects. In these cases, researchers "frequently cite abrupt cessation of psychotherapeutic medications" as an underlying factor; in short, the subject is off his meds. In all, the task force estimates that some 250 ED subjects die in the US each year, an estimated 8 to 14% of those who experience the syndrome. Despite circumstantial relationships with stimulant drug abuse, psychiatric disease, psychiatric drug withdrawal, and underlying metabolic disorders, science has not yet determined how these factors lead to excited delirium or why only some cases end in death. The "typical course" of an ED episode described in published accounts involves "acute drug intoxication, often a history of mental illness (especially...paranoia), a struggle with law enforcement, physical or noxious chemical control measures or electrical control device (ECD) application, sudden and unexpected death, and an autopsy which fails to reveal a definite cause of death from trauma or natural disease," the task force reports. The paper points out that while "most organized medical associations...and medical coding reference materials...do not recognize the exact term 'excited delirium,' some professional groups do, such as the National Assn. of Medical Examiners. Moreover, references to the syndrome can be found in the International Classification of Diseases under other names, such as manic excitement, delirium of mixed origin, psychomotor excitement, abnormal excitement, and so on. The semantics issue "does not indicate that ExDS does not exist," the report emphasizes. It only means that "this exact and specific terminology may not yet be [universally] accepted." What's more consistent are the "common characteristics" observed among subjects in the throes of the syndrome. "These subjects are hyperaggressive with bizarre behavior, and are impervious to pain, combative, hyperthermic [abnormally high body temperature], and tachycardic [rapid heart rate]," the report says. Officers are likely to find them tirelessly resistant, sweating, breathing rapidly, agitated, unusually strong, and inappropriately clothed (especially nude). "[R]emorse, normal fear and understanding of surroundings, and rational thoughts for safety are absent in such subjects," the report explains. Like much else about ED, why some subjects exhibiting these symptoms die and others do not is "not fully understood," the task force notes. Some researchers suspect that "chronic stimulant-induced abnormalities of dopamine transporter pathways" in the brain, as well as "elevation of heat shock proteins," may be involved. Others are exploring possible "genetic susceptibility." At the moment, the true significance of any potential causative influence "remains unknown." It is clear, though, that the "majority of lethal ExDS patients die shortly after a violent struggle" that becomes "more severe than anyone anticipates," the report says. "Many have already sustained traumatic injuries before the arrival of law enforcement and still exhibit intense struggling, even when a struggle is futile and self mutilation is a result." The subject may experience a "sudden collapse after restraint" and lapse into a "period of tranquility" or "giving up" shortly before dying. Even "aggressive resuscitation" efforts may then prove unsuccessful. Expecting an ED encounter to be resolved without a potentially fatal struggle may be asking the near impossible of responding officers. As the task force acknowledges: "[A]lmost everything taught to LEOs about control of subjects relies on a suspect to either be rational, appropriate, or to comply with painful stimuli. Tools and tactics...(such as pepper spray, impact batons, joint lock maneuvers, punches and kicks, and ECDs, especially when used for pain compliance) that are traditionally effective in controlling resisting subjects, are likely to be less effective on ExDS subjects. "When methods such as pain compliance maneuvers or tools of force fail, the LEO is left with few options. It is not feasible for them to wait for the ExDS subject to calm down, as this may take hours in a potentially medically unstable situation fraught with scene safety concerns." Two resolution possibilities that most officers would consider would be a physical "swarming" of the subject if sufficient manpower is available or the firing of a Taser. Unfortunately, the task force does not offer recommendations or even a listing of pros and cons regarding these specific options. Nor does it address the controversy regarding Tasering and in-custody deaths. A member of the task force told Force Science News that there was "much debate" about these issues, but that the final consensus seemed to be that "we should not dictate to cops what to do. We are physicians, not use-of-force experts." Sztajnkrycer explains: "The purpose of the report was to emphasize rapid medical recognition" of the syndrome. The report says simply that "Some of the goals of LEOs in these situations should be to 1) recognize possible ExDS, contain the subject, and call for EMS; 2) take the subject into custody quickly, safely, and efficiently if necessary; and 3) then immediately turn the care of the subject over to EMS personnel when they arrive for treatment and transport to definitive medical care." Because "control measures are a prerequisite for medical assessment and intervention," the report goes on, "this should be accomplished as rapidly and safely as possible...[i]n subjects who do not respond to verbal calming and de-escalation techniques.... Recent research indicates that physical struggle is a much greater [potential danger] than other causes of exertion or noxious stimuli.... [S]pecific physical control methods employed should optimally minimize the time spent struggling, while safely achieving physical control. The use of multiple personnel with training in safe physical control measures is encouraged." And: "There are well-documented cases of ExDS deaths with minimal restraint such as handcuffs without ECD use. This underscores that this is a potentially fatal syndrome in and of itself, sometimes reversible when expert medical treatment is immediately available." Once the subject is handed off to EMS, "Officers should attempt to ensure that the tactile temperature of these subjects is documented and request EMS to measure it," the report advises. "In fatal cases, a significantly elevated temperature may suggest that a life-threatening disease or condition was present" and that any death that might result "was independent of the police intervention." Once in EMS care, the subject is probably best sedated immediately and cooled as quickly as possible "to reduce the risk of death," the task force suggests. "As with any critically ill patient, treatment should proceed concurrently with evaluation for precipitating causes or additional pathology" while the crew is en route to a medical facility. "The risk of death is likely increased with physiologic stress [so] attempts to minimize such stress are needed in the management of these patients," the report says. At this time, the White Paper concludes, there is "insufficient data...to determine whether fatal ExDS is preventable, or whether there is a point of no return after which the patient will die regardless of advanced life support interventions." The task force recommends several goals for the future to expand the understanding of ED. These include: studies to "identify susceptibility genes," more research into "the role of law enforcement control techniques and devices in the death of subjects," the establishment of a national "report registry" to compile documentation about fatal and nonfatal known and suspected ED cases, and research that would lead to "field protocols and techniques that allow police, EMS, and hospital personnel to interact with these agitated, aggressive patients in a manner safe both for the patients and the providers.... "While many of the current deaths from ExDS are likely not preventable, there may be an unidentified subset in whom death could be averted with early directed therapeutic intervention." Only more research and greater understanding of the intricacies of this vexing condition will tell. NOTE: What Dr. Lewinski describes as "the best swarming technique that can be used in an ED situation" is the Star Tactic, developed by FSRC board member and internationally known DT trainer Gary Klugiewicz. Click here for a detailed description. ================ (c) 2009: Force Science Research Center, www.forcescience.org. Reprints allowed by request. For reprint clearance, please e-mail: info@forcesciencenews.com. FORCE SCIENCE is a registered trademark of The Force Science Research Center, a non-profit organization based at Minnesota State University, Mankato. ======= --- From John Farnam: 2 Nov 09 Urban Blight? From a friend just returning from Detroit: "Thrill-seeker that I am, I drove around the City of Detroit last weekend, as I haven't been there for several years. The East Side is scarcely more than rubble! Complete city blocks have been razed, leaving huge areas that have, non-unexpectedly, returned to native prairie. I saw only a handful of isolated, standing houses. None looked occupied. All had so many bars on windows and doors that they looked like small jails, and all were so rickety that I concluded that only reason they were still standing was that termites were all holding hands! Downtown, one can see the results of taxpayer-funded 'Urban Renewal.' There are sports stadiums and a nice Farmer's Market. But, surrounding the downtown area is what looks like a movie set for a documentary on the City of Dresden. Kind of ruins the mood, and belies the veneer! Without industry (which has long-since fled), the City serves no purpose. With such a large demographic of government-subsidized, willfully, permanently non-productive, all residents can do is beg for scraps, from sleazy politicians who steal money doled out to them by the federal government. The immensity of rotting blight is something you can't imagine until you see it with your own eyes. Total land area of abandoned/vacant property in Detroit now equals that of the entire City of Boston! As we entered Detroit City Limits, we were greeted by a billboard advertising employment opportunities. The job: One thousand new CCW instructors are needed for the State of Michigan. Imagine that!" Comment: A system where government hand-outs are routinely used to purchase votes from the permanently dependant insures such ever-expanding blight. The only beneficiaries are erstwhile-unemployed politicians, living in luxury, who never want to see anyone else's lot improve. "Of all tyrannies, one sincerely exercised for the 'good' of its victims is most oppressive. It is better to live under robber-barons than under omnipotent moral-busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sleep sometimes, and his lust may, at long-last, be satisfied. But, who torment us 'for our own good,' will do so without ceasing, because they do it with the approval of their own consciences." CS Lewis /John (I would have expected John to focus on the enhanced need to take personal responsibility for one's own safety as social conditions deteriorate. Of late, I have been getting some interesting e-mails from potential students, suggesting this growing awareness.) 6 Nov 09 Profession of Arms? Learned helplessness in the military. Had Wednesday's serial murders at Ft Hood taken place just outside the Base in the City of Killeen, TX, the murder suspect would likely have been gunned-down immediately by several Texas CHL holders. Tragically, the murders took place in a "gun-free zone" (aka "criminal empowerment zone"), because in America, among those claiming to be active members of the "Profession of Arms," no one is armed! Reaction from the idiot Press were predictable: They sought out anyone who would comment on the subject of personal weapons on base. One representative fell into their trap and tried to defend Base rules that require "... anyone on Base with a weapon must have it out-of-reach and unloaded." However, as we all know, any gun that is "perfectly safe" is "perfectly useless," and its owner is "perfectly helpless." Base commanders apparently believe everyone should be disarmed and always ready to be victimized, rather than (Heaven forbid!) armed, trained, and prepared. Interesting philosophy, and it obviously "worked" perfectly! Curious that the murder suspect himself apparently didn't pay much attention to that particular rule. Imagine that! The fact is that the best, and only really effective, deterrent to criminal violence is good and decent people who are constantly armed and prepared. That practice has ignificantly discouraged all criminal activity every time it has been tried. It works. Nothing else does! Years ago, in all branches of the US Military, officers and staff NCOs were always armed with a pistol, on base, off base, in uniform, or not. Being ever "armed and ready" was considered a point of honor! To be unarmed was to be incapable of performing one's duty. Such a thing would be dishonorable. Back then, we didn't have mass murders on military bases! Under today's "enlightened" policy, even star-wearers are unarmed and helpless, foolishly relying upon some ill-defined "reactionary force" to protect them, a force that will predictably arrive long after the damage has been done. Who own personal weapons, have local CCW permits, and acquire training outside the "System," are now classified as "gun-enthusiasts" and are thus highly suspect from that point forward, lumped in with lepers and child-molesters. So long as professing practitioners of the "Profession of Arms" are pathologically frightened of guns and suspect of each other, we can look forward to more such mass murders of the defenseless. And, I promise you, all will take place in "gun-free zones." As always, the real villain here is arrogance, the kind of personal vanity the ever precludes us from sincerely admitting we're wrong and that we need to change directions. Learned helplessness? Not a formula for victory! /John (I would not argue that a zealot who is prepared to die would never stage an attack in a venue that was not a gun-free zone. I will argue that when it does occur, it will likely be terminated more quickly than if it had occurred in such a zone.) -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .