A Gamer's Guide to Small Unit Tactics

[bben46]

Unless the NRA has made drastic changes your views are very much in line with theirs.

They advocate gun safety classes, not just for concealed carry, but hunters, law enforcement and children - the child safety classes emphasize do not touch.

Securing guns in homes with (or even without) children is encouraged.

 

The NRA lobbied for the concealed carry law in SC, as well as many other states. Part of their recommendations was a safety course be included in the law.

 

It is already illegal for any convicted felon to have a gun.

[Oldwolfe]

<nod>

 

I'm aware of that.

 

However, the basic stance of the NRA (although they don't push it) is that automatic weapons should be legal for anyone who can legally own a gun. And that same person should be able to park a loaded tank in their garage if they can afford it. (Under proper lock and key, of course.)

 

They don't push those particular beliefs (they do mention it from time to time in a theoretical format) as they are usually fighting a rearguard action and don't really want to give the gun control crowd more ammo to yell about.

 

My personal problem with automatic weapons being legal is based on what I see in typical street crime. In a huge number of incidents the intended target is hit, but also one or more additional unintended targets as well. The capacity for collateral damage makes me feel it shouldn't be available to the general public. And no, while shotguns have a spread effect, they don't have nearly that same capacity for collateral damage. You can't hose down an entire street with a shotgun in under a second.

 

Even a well meaning individual with gun safety training is likely to panic in a crisis and given a fully automatic weapon is prone to simply taking the "spray and pray" approach. Quite often professional soldiers who are trained better still panic and do that their first time under fire.

 

I'm not really anti-NRA, so much as I have problems with a few of their views.

 

(I guess in a way, accuracy is also my complaint with most gun control laws. They don't hit criminals, but instead impact law abiding citizens.)

 

I'm also pro-ACLU (in basic concept), but stand up screeching when they defend people who believe in stomping on other people's rights. They have been known to defend the rights of violent extremists. I think the ACLU takes idealism too far. Sometimes I think they'd fervently defend Hitler's rights to support a concept.

 

Idealism is great. Until you hold so tightly to it that you deliberately ignore realism.

 

I believe that when you try to deny some people their rights, you in turn forfeit a few of your own rights. It's the job of government to make sure that you've actually done it, before they take those rights away. (Such as probable cause before searches.)

 

If the ACLU had it's way, they'd take away so many legal tools of law enforcement that prosecuting any criminal would be a nightmare. By the same token, I DO want the ACLU there, watching over and protecting my rights.

 

For our system to work, you want two differing views representing their sides and HOPEFULLY the legal system in the middle creating a working balancing act. Sometimes I think they fail. (Like when the supreme court decided in favor of the school district that had a school nurse forcibly search a girl's underwear without even TRYING to contact a parent... just on the unsubstantiated accusation of another student) In that case I think they failed HUGE. But in any system trying to attain a balance, you are going to get some failures like that. Overall, the system mostly works. Admittedly, I wish it worked better.

 

<chuckle> yeah, the ACLU and NRA seem like opposite ends of the political spectrum, so how can I at least in generalities support both? You may remember one of the primal truths I mentioned is that when you have two differing points of view, the truth is usually found somewhere in the middle.

 

If you honestly look at the stances of ultra conservatives and ultra liberals, you will probably find at least a few ideas in each that you like. (I said ultra, not militant.)

 

And.... I'm rambling again.

[Oldwolfe]

Many people have a home defense weapon, but how many people have a home defense plan?

 

A lot of people will think this is paranoia. But do you have a plan to you teach your children what to do in a fire? Tornado? Hurricane? Which is more likely? Think about that.

 

I can't really outline one here, as with the variety of different home and family arrangements it's simply impossible.

 

I will say I have one, and review it periodically so I'm familiar with it and will automatically fall back to it in an emergency.

 

Your children, when they are old enough, should be made familiar with your plan. If you have a ceramic bathtub, that should be part of your children's fallback point in the plan.

 

What will you do if you are surprised in bed? In the shower or tub?

 

I will say that my refrigerator (one of the most solid things in my home) is part of my defense plan.

 

I'm not talking about laying out mines and booby traps. (which can get you a lot of jail time) I'm just saying, if you are going to have a weapon to defend your home with, there's more to it than just pulling the trigger.

 

Make a good solid defense plan for your home that involves calling 911. Preferably a speaker phone that can one-button dial 911 so the operator can hear any trouble going on, if you simply can't stand there explaining everything.

 

One of the cheapest and most effective deterrents you can possibly have, is motion activated exterior lights. Almost every hardware store sells some. If a troublemaker approaches your home and the spotlights go on, they will usually leave.

 

Your home defense weapon should be low penetration. I know of a cop that shot a burglar in his home, the bullet passed through the burglar, went through his house, down the street, through several walls in another house, and killed a baby sleeping in a crib as well as the burglar. That cop committed suicide a couple weeks later.

 

Short barreled shotguns are the best for home defense. But keep in mind local and federal gun laws regarding barrel length. After that I recommend the legal semi-automatic imitation submachineguns. After that, pistols. Rifles are very poor internal home defense weapons. Rounding the corner of a hallway you don't want several feet of barrel preceding you. It's too easy for someone to grab and yank upwards before shooting you with their gun. However, when defending by shooting outside the home, instead of internally, I'd want a rifle as long as I knew for sure what was behind my target.

 

My own personal choices for internal home defense are a 12 gauge double barreled 18 1/2" (legal) stagecoach gun and a .357 revolver. Yes a .357 is high penetration, but not with my home defense loads in it. ( I use Magsafe ammo, a pre-fragmented load that is high damage but low penetration )

 

http://www.magsafeonline.com/

 

I think ANYONE who has a gun for home defense should seriously consider this ammunition. It's low recoil despite very high stopping power. Admittedly it's expensive ammo, but not as expensive as shooting through your home into another home nearby.

 

Also think about ammo for reloading. My shotgun has an elastic band around the buttstock that holds six spare shotgun shells.

 

There are a wide range of different gun locks and cabinets that are both childproof and relatively quick to open. Combination locks are best, as you don't want to try to find a key when you really need the gun NOW.

 

Here is a combination style trigger guard lock:

 

http://images.childsafetystore.com/www.childsafetystore.com/gunlock.jpg

 

Very fast to open biometric locks are becoming more common on gun safes. (And not quite as expensive as you may think.)

 

Here's a biometric lock from a Browning gun safe with a combination backup.

 

http://www.browning.agenglish.com/images09/BioLock.jpg

 

Most burglars will avoid a home with even a very small dog.

 

With a little forethought, planning, and not much expense, you can make your home a much safer place.

 

(THERE! Here's a coherent non-rambling posting.)

[Oldwolfe]

Car defense guns:

 

First of all, in most places, carrying a gun inside a car is illegal unless you have a concealed carry permit.

 

A gun safe in the floorboards doesn't cut it in most places either. In many places, if you are carrying a gun in a car, it has be locked in an inaccessible area such as a trunk, unloaded, and it's case must be additionally locked, as well... with the ammunition stored in a different container.

 

However, if you DO have legal permission to carry one in your vehicle, many people don't realize that the gun they are carrying may be unsuitable to the job. Here's why; most people are used to the noise of a gun from outdoors or from inside a firing range. A car is a VERY enclosed environment. This magnifies the sound shockwave from firing dramatically. Even with windows rolled down, most self-defense loads can induce temporary deafness. Magnum loads have a chance of actually rupturing eardrums.

 

I'm not fond of cartridges as small as the .380 auto or .32 revolver for self defense purposes. However, if I were to be carrying a car defense weapon, I'd seriously consider that as my vehicle defense weapon. There are ammunition alternatives that seriously increase the stopping power of those smaller loads.

 

In one of the James Bond novels, his car has a .44 magnum in the glove box. However, that's a very poor idea as if you fire it inside the vehicle, you are nearly guaranteeing yourself some personal damage. Burst eardrums are AGONY.

 

Now, there are a few things I want to discuss about vehicular defense that have nothing to do with your gun. If you find yourself in a situation where you are in danger, your car itself is your bet for survival. Best way: Getting the heck outta there.

 

They teach bodyguards and other "combat" drivers to drive in the left lane when possible. It's harder to box you in when you have a couple directional alternatives to get away, and you can't be pinned against a curb.

 

You might be surprised at how effective that the safety glass in a car windshield can be in stopping a bullet. Especially the rear sloping window. The angle combined with the laminated safety glass can deflect many cartridges up to and including medium rounds like the .38 and 9mm.

 

One common mistake that many people make is to get out of their vehicle. If there isn't a gun in your face, the car is far more deadly than any gun. However, if you don't want to face a jury, escape is always a better choice than aggression if that is an alternative.

 

Note: Knives are not necessarily a safe legal alternative. Many states have no concealed knife carry laws, but there is a federal one. The federal law states than any knife with a blade length of 3" or longer is legally a lethal weapon. Carrying one concealed in many places carries a stiffer legal penalty because it's a federal crime, while most gun laws are local, not federal. Depending on where you live, you can get more jail time for carrying a concealed knife than for carrying a concealed gun. Also, some states DO have a local law on knives, some of them with a length of 2 1/2" or even shorter being illegal. So check local laws. It's possible that Grandad's old whittler could land you in hot water.

[LHammonds]

Very good and easy-to-implement suggestions for home defense (dog, flood lights, ammo). I would also recommend acting out scenarios where a burglar has entered (or entering) your home as part of your continual defensive training.

 

A burglar can enter your home via any door or window almost regardless if you have them secured or not. It can also be at any time of day.

 

So try and figure out what you'd do if a burglar was to enter your front door for various scenarios and how you'd react:

 

1. You are watching TV in your chair (what are your options, gun location/accessibility, family, etc.)

2. You are in bed sleeping (what are your options, etc.)

3. You answer the door and they attack

4. You come home and find a burglar already inside

5. etc.

 

Go through several scenarios like that and change where you and your family are, where the burglar(s) is and what time of day. Carrying a gun around in public might be illegal but not on your own property. Consider a small handgun to carry on you in your pocket while at home. You'd be surprised at how many times this solution would work VERY well in many of the scenarios you can come up with from the prior paragraph. (Did I ever mention how I like my S&W 642?)

 

At night time, walk through your house and see how you could "detect" another person lurking around without being seen (such as having lights already on in areas you are not and not having lights turned on behind you exposing your silhouette). Are your pictures angled to help reflect what is around the corner? Make it as easy as possible for you to see somebody else while keeping yourself hidden. Know your terrain as it is a major advantage for you and a serious disadvantage to your enemy if s/he knows nothing about it. Then switch positions...become the invader and see how you can spot other people when you are invading the house from different entries and then minimize their advantage. Control lighting and reflections. Add night lights to places where you will not be and will cast shadows from anyone coming from a door entry.

 

It is very important that if you live with others that you convey your tactics and that they understand your house "rules" such as curfew and giving prior notification when arriving late and whatnot. You do not want a situation where you mistake somebody coming in your back door at 3am is a burglar when they are not. Everyone in my house knows that I should be made aware of any unusual departure or arrival times no matter what. If they were doing something they shouldn't, they know it is far better to come clean than break that rule. I also go easy on any punishment if they fess-up before I find out...might even avoid punishment completely if they fess-up even if I might not ever find out. This helps keep the important safety rules from being broken.

 

Some might see it as being paranoid for a situation that may never happen but I see it as being trained and prepared for a potentially lethal situation. I strongly feel that a person that faces a terrible situation such as a burglar entering your house while you are in it is more likely to survive if mentally prepared and trained to make the best decisions with careful forethought rather than "making it up as you go." Hindsight is a wonderful teacher but only if you live to utilize it. You have a brain on your head...it is your choice if you decide to use it or loose it. ;)

 

LHammonds

[Oldwolfe]

Carrying a gun around in public might be illegal but not on your own property. Consider a small handgun to carry on you in your pocket while at home. You'd be surprised at how many times this solution would work VERY well in many of the scenarios you can come up with from the prior paragraph.

 

There's a huge caveat to that one. If you live within a certain range of a school, it may not be legal to carry a gun EVEN in your home. In some states it may not be legal to have a gun in a certain range of a church or hospital either, due to the presence of large numbers of children. Check your local laws.

 

When I lived in California my house was just barely outside of the range of a school zone. I could carry legally in my home but only in 2/3rds of my yard due to how close I was to an elementary school. The line literally ran through my yard. It was illegal for my neighbors on the side of the school to have guns in their homes. I forget what the actual distance from the school was, but it can vary from state to state anyway.

 

In my postings I talk a little about laws. First of all, I am NOT a lawyer. I was a reserve deputy sheriff briefly (helping out during a time of turmoil in one county during the early 80s farm foreclosure crises when some counties went bankrupt.)

 

However, I am by no means an expert on the law. I was very careful each time I spoke about legalities here. I never once said, "You can get away with..." Instead I was speaking in terms of warnings of possible legal issues that may affect your area.

 

As I said over and over...

 

CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS!

 

A quick phone call to your local sheriff's department will usually get you the information you need. Sometimes they can direct you to a website that lists the local laws. Usually they are VERY happy to tell you what's allowed and what's not. It's best for them if people check, as it avoids future trouble.

 

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I would also recommend acting out scenarios where a burglar has entered (or entering) your home as part of your continual defensive training.

 

If you use a gun in acting out scenarios... USE A WATER PISTOL!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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LHammonds did a good job of describing a lot of stuff I do. I skipped over a lot of that because each home and situation is so different.

 

I guess in one way I fell prey to something that I have chewed out soldiers for many times in the past. Assuming that people knew what I meant.

 

BAD WOLFE!

 

While I said it's a good idea to have a defense plan, I did a poor job of explaining what I meant by a "Defense Plan".

 

Thanks for the assist there, LHammonds.

 

I want to expand on something LHammonds was talking about,

 

If you lose your key, how do you get in? Do you use a window that never latches properly? Do you have a hide-a-key hidden in a rock? You would be surprised how many people do that, and how good criminals are at finding them.

 

You are much better off leaving a key with a trusted neighbor.

 

Do a complete walk-around on your home and try to figure out how you would break in if you were a thief. If you didn't care at all about breaking things, you may look at the entry possibilities of your home a little differently. Are the basement windows easy to pop and large enough for a skinny person to shimmy through?

 

Some places, the local police or sheriff's departments even have a program where they will come out and look at your home and identify trouble spots for you. (the sheriff's department I worked for briefly, did that)

 

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Your local sheriff's or police department (probably sheriff's) should maintain a sex offender registry website. The law now requires that the location of the residence of every registered sex offender be made available to the general public. It is possible to end up on the sex offender registry for something as simple as urinating in public. However, the overwhelming majority of the people on the list should still be a subject of concern.

 

ESPECIALLY if you have children, you should periodically check the website to see who living in your area you need to be aware of. It's more possible than you may think that you will have to tell your children to avoid ALL contact with "Mr. Whatever living two doors down across the street."

 

A friend of mine checked the Sheriff's Department site here and was amazed to discover that there were six separate registered sex offenders living in her apartment complex. Two of which has sexual assault convictions and two had records involving minors. One was even female. A VERY clean complex in a nice neighborhood.

 

Our local website shows the photos of the people, their address, and what they were convicted of.

 

I was amazed to see a former co-worker of mine on the site. He was always friendly and well thought of by most people. He left the shop after going to school and acquiring certification as a massage therapist. He ran a local radio add for his practice and I'd hear that radio add periodically and think to myself, "It's nice that he did so well." Then he just vanished for a few years and then I saw his picture on the local Sex Offender Registry. I was floored.

 

The sheer number of them is staggering. Almost every community has several. Truthfully, almost every community has a lot.

 

The law requires those websites be put up for your use. For a VERY good reason. So, make use of it.

 

If nothing else, it becomes great motivation to remember to lock your doors.

 

Don't EVER feel like you must shield your children from these sad truths. It's simply a question of being responsible that you tell your children that "Mr. Whatever has been a BAD MAN in the past, and you don't want them ever talking to him." If he tries to talk to them, they need to run for home. If he tries to grab them, they need to scream at the top of their lungs until he lets go and then they need to run for home.

 

I'd rather be rude to a possibly innocent or reformed convict than put my children at risk.

 

I worked out the math. In the small city near where I live (population 18,912), based on the number of registered sex offenders on the Sheriff's Department website, if they were equally scattered through the town, no matter where you lived you'd be within a quarter mile of one of them. ( a couple of them have addresses in the expensive neighborhoods )

 

This topic makes many people uncomfortable and they just want to forget it. Well, that's just too darned bad. Pretending it's not there doesn't make it go away.

[apocalypse1138]

Wow, this topic has went from extremely interesting, to downright useful and potentially life-saving. Just skimmed through, as it looks like this topic contains a healthy amount of text, but I'll be going back through and reading it all. I'll keep reading and ask another question if something comes to mind, but this is a very good topic and I have enjoyed it so far.

[Birrii]

Oldwolfe: How do you know all this?? :O

[Oldwolfe]

Oldwolfe: How do you know all this?? :O

 

Umm.... I dunno. Just been around the block a few times, I guess.

 

Edit:

 

I bought a new car today (well, a used one) and walked across the street to a restaurant to eat lunch while it was being serviced. While I was there, inside were a bunch of captains and majors from the base eating lunch.

 

I couldn't help but look at them and think that they looked like kids.

 

Captains and MAJORS!

 

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

[humanbean234]

I couldn't help but look at them and think that they looked like kids.

 

Captains and MAJORS!

 

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

Slightly off-topic...

I hear you, bro... my Troop Commander's a good man, but jeez... I was already in High School when he was born. I'm old enough to be my Platoon Leader's father. I'm older than our Operations Sergeant Major by a few months... where does the time go?

 

@Birrii - Those that make it to older age tend to accumulate a great deal of knowledge and skills along the way; foolish men have a reduced likelihood of seeing their "golden years," y'know? Part of how my psyche operates (and that of many veterans) is to constantly form contingency plans for worst-case scenarios. (If anything less than that happens, you're pleasantly surprised). When you plan for worst-case, you tend to accumulate the skillset to survive those scenarios... it does make one an occasional "Debbie Downer" in conversation, but we're handy to have around.

 

P.S.: Sergeant Major got involved in my housing paperwork Friday afternoon; signed paperwork was in my hands Monday morning. :)

 

/off-topic