News from The Sight M1911, Volume 131

News from The Sight M1911

Volume 131, 11/2/03

If you have been near a television in the past two days, you have no doubt seen the remarkable film clip of a man trying to kill an attorney in front of the Van Nuys, CA courthouse. William Strier, a disgruntled and mentally ill man, shot Gerry Curry, counsel for a trustee of Strier’s special needs trust fund. Strier empties what appears to be a .38 Special snub nose toward Curry who tries to shield himself behind a small tree. Curry was hit several times in the upper torso and face but managed to walk away from the encounter to later collapse across the street. For more details and the video clip, you can go to http://www.courttv.com/trials/blake/103103_ap.html

I will forgo any cheap-shot lawyer humor here because I see no humor in citizens being terrorized by maniacs with guns. This kind of behavior is reprehensible and dishonorable. High profile gun crime like this makes life more difficult for responsible gun owners. I do think some important insights about surviving violent encounters may be drawn from this incident.

Curry, the victim, does one thing right and several things wrong. What he does right is to move away from the attacker and he tries to get behind the cover of a small tree. This move many have saved him from taking a center-of-mass hit which could have been fatal. What he does wrong is that the cover he chooses is inadequate and he stops moving, and thereby allows Strier to get close and land some hits. Fortunately, none of them turned out to be lethal. Had Curry just run away, the odds are good that he would not have been hit at all. Also, Curry is woefully unprepared, mentally and physically, to deal with this attack. Had Curry been armed, he could have defended himself from this attack. Had Strier thought that Curry might have been armed, there is a good chance that he would not have launched the attack in the first place. This, to my mind, is the most powerful argument for shall issue concealed carry: not that citizens can carry out gun battles in the streets (and they haven’t in any of the 36 shall issue states), but that the possibility that citizens may be armed creates a powerful disincentive for potential evil doers.

Another striking feature of this film clip is how little the multiple hits from the .38 seem to affect Curry. I’m assuming that the gun was a .38 since that is the most common chambering for snub-nosed revolvers. The muzzle flash also looks like a .38. It has much more flash than a .22. It appears that one bullet hit Curry squarely in the center of his forehead but did not penetrate into his skull. The wound to the forehead appears to be too large for a .22 based on photographs I have seen. The apparent lack of effect of this handgun stands in stark contrast to the Hollywood mythology which holds that handgun bullets strike like rocket propelled grenades and throw the victim back 50 feet on impact. Curry flinches when he is hit, but that’s about all. Minor caliber handguns may be lethal with perfect bullet placement, but they are seldom fight stoppers, and they require expert skill and tremendous luck to employ effectively. They are marginal as defensive weapons.

Summary of learnings:

When going to a gunfight, take a gun.
Take enough gun to do the job.
A pistol is a tool used to fight your way back to your gun. (Clint Smith)
Movement, distance and cover are your friends.
Mental preparation and tactical awareness can save your life.

TRIGGER HAPPY

Meet Long Island's gun lovers who shoot for sport - and aim for fun and camaraderie

http://tinyurl.com/sv28

RANGE OF GUN SHOW EXHIBITORS ON THE INCREASE

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20031026/5003872.asp

SMITH & WESSON'S 1911

Yep. You read it right. After 92 years of producing everything but, the legendary revolver firm has finally come to grips with the Government Model .45.

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ga_handguns/sw_1911_0513/

PUBLIC TO GET A SHOT AT YEAGER'S ANTIQUE GUNS

http://news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20031101/TopStories/162164.shtml

COPS REVOLT AGAINST GUN CONTROL

http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/10/24/121317.shtml

DETROIT POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS OVER “UNREGISTERED” GUN ON AIRPLANE

http://www.detnews.com/2003/metro/0311/01/-312823.htm

DEAN WALKS A TIGHTROPE OVER POSITIONS ON GUN CONTROL

http://tinyurl.com/t3st

KERRY CRITICIZES DEAN'S GUN VIEWS

http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/22649906.html

SHOTGUN IN HAND, KERRY DEFINES HIS GUN-CONTROL STANCE

http://tinyurl.com/t9hm

TOY GUN TRIGGERS CAPITOL SHUTDOWN

“Can you say ‘hysteria’ boys and girls? I thought you could.”

http://tinyurl.com/t3tz

ATF ALLOWS SALE OF HANDGUN DISGUISED AS A PEN DESPITE LAW ENFORCEMENT WARNING

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031028/dctu047_1.html

REMINGTON WORKERS GET UNPAID FURLOUGH

http://www.uticaod.com/archive/2003/10/31/news/18845.html

SUSPENDED OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY IN ASSAULT WEAPONS CASE

Officer expected to spend no less than year in jail

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2585859/detail.html

JUDGE DISMISSES ST. LOUIS LAWSUIT BROUGHT AGAINST GUN INDUSTRY

http://newstribune.com/stories/102803/sta_1028030007.asp

ANOTHER GUN BAN NEEDS TO EXPIRE IN PEACE

http://www.americandaily.com/item/3213

BOY, 9, ARRESTED FOR HAVING TOY GUN

Officer aims gun at boy's head

http://www.local6.com/news/2591133/detail.html

DETROIT POLICE CHIEF JERRY OLIVER FACES FEDERAL FINES FOR GUN

Federal authorities have charged Detroit Police Chief Jerry Oliver with failing to declare a loaded pistol stowed in his checked baggage.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2592119/detail.html

CALIFORNIA: COURT ENTERS GROUNDBREAKING SETTLEMENT AGREED TO BY GUN DEALERS AND DISTRIBUTORS

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=146-10272003

FLORIDA: MIAMI OFFICERS SENTENCED TO PRISON IN PLANTED-GUN SHOOTINGS

MIAMI - Four Miami police officers on special undercover teams were given federal prison sentences ranging from 13 months to more than three years Wednesday for planting guns after questionable police shootings or lying to cover it up.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/7134310.htm

ILLINOIS: RAUSCHENBERGER CHANGES STANCE ON GUNS IN CLASSROOMS

U-S Senate candidate Steven Rauschenberger says he's changed his mind about teachers packing heat.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/102903_ap_ns_rauschenberger.html

MARYLAND: GRANT TRIGGERS SPECIAL FIREARMS PROSECUTOR

http://tinyurl.com/sw9t

MISSOURI: CONCEALED HANDGUN PENALTIES TOUGH FOR DRINKERS

A provision of Missouri's new concealed-carry law increases the penalty for possession of a firearm while intoxicated

http://tinyurl.com/t0rx

NEW JERSEY: STATE GETTING A GRIP ON SMART GUNS

NJIT works on weapon that fires only after recognizing its owner's touch

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1067278215299987.xml

GUN-FREE AUSTRALIA: GUN CRIMES 'LIKE INFECTIOUS DISEASE'

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7725729%5E1702,00.html

PHILIPPINES: MAYOR EMANO ORDERS GUN BAN
TO FURTHER secure the safety and welfare of its constituents and visitors, the City Hall's top honcho ordered a gun ban in the City of Friendship Wednesday. ...
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2003/10/30/news/mayor.emano.orders.gun.ban.html

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