All posts tagged Life Act

Weird stuff on youtube these days

I have been having fun watching the YouTube videos and information.   There is a lot of copy written stuff and I’ve been trying to avoid watching firearm instructional videos and gunsmithing stuff just because I’m in the minority that thinks that is stealing.  I have been buying  handguns that I’m not really fond of, but since they are fairly popular I have been enjoying looking up amatuer videos from other gun owners talk about the guns they own and being their own gun video writers.   Some of the stuff is pathetically bad and the inability to pronounce words like Kimber and are acting like they know something I don’t know.  It’s KIMBER not KIMBALL.

There have been some interested changes to the previous Kimber Guardian Angel and there is now the Kimber Pepper Blaster II out that they gives the ASP Pepper Sprays some real competition.   I think any type of pepper spray is a must even if you are carrying a firearm.   If you read some of these gun forums and discussion about carrying firearms into the woods or in bear Country, you will be just as safe carrying mace with you as you are in carrying a  44 magnum.   I have had numerous conversations with game commission workers about bear contact and they have actually had to put black bears down, they recommended that bear sprays and pepper sprays will do as much keep a bear off you as firing a gun.   The only real issue is range.

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The New Kimber Guardian

The new Kimber Guardian Angel pepper spray is no longer called the Life-Act or Guardian Angel.   We’re now on the 3rd installment of the device and I agree with all of the modifications.   My initial response to the device was that it was expensive, but then I realized that it actually lasts longer than any of the bottle sprays I own and it points easier, and has a trigger.   The original design fit my hands fine, but for anyone with smaller hands, it was a little too big and it had a slippery plastic feel to it.   I have several friends that have taken grip tape that skateboarders use on theirs and it worked well, but why didn’t Kimber do something like this?

The new Kimber device is called the Kimber Pepper Blaster II.   This is a radically new pepper spray design that is still a 2 shot device but it will look at feel like a small firearm and this actually comes with sights.   The previous design was used with a funky hand hold that was very goofy and somewhat unrealistically deployed.   Why not just put sights on the gun?  Well, now they did, and the only thing I can think of that would be a drawback would be that it might snag where the previous design fit very well into a pocket.   My Eotac Style 205 jeans and the Style 204 canvas designs had a side pocket that I could keep the guns in and they always pointed down and never would snag.

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Alternatives to carrying firearms

I’ve been watching the growing trend towards pocket guns and CCW weapons that I would defanitely consider to be minimal.    Years ago the debates were about which was better, 9mm or 45acp for stopping threats.   Now that so many first time CCW carriers are getting into the fold, but they seem to think that a .380 is good enough for them.   We have to balance between our skills as a CCW carrier and what is practical and what can be concealed.   Confronting a nut on PCP at close range may require an FAL in 7.62 NATO, but we may not be fortunate to have one.   In all honesty, there are just some situations where retreating and running full speed away is the best option.

Now that we have been becoming more and more aware of what actually “stops” a threat, we have to get into the realm of less-lethal weapons.   Tasers have been known to kill people, but they are more effective in stopping threats than firearms.   After seeing and reading about some pretty pathetic robberies and hold ups in the Trenton and Philadelphia area, I was wondering if someone just had a can of mace that the drug addict could have been taken down without putting several holes in the ceiling and walls of the stores.  The Kimber Pepper Blaster  is my favorite less lethal weapon  because it has a trigger and its easy to tell which direction it is pointing unlike bottle sprays.  2nd choice is followed by the ASP pepper sprays. I have nothing against people that just want to carry one gun, but I think a firearm, knife and less lethal weapon are my suggestions for CCW 7 days a week.

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Backup weapon for primary purposes

The idea of having a backup weapon doesn’t necessarily mean that it is there for when your primary weapon goes down.    A secondary weapon can be there just because it’s in a different location and may be easier to access under a certain situation.   For instance, an ankle holster is  a great option for those that do a lot of driving.   Trying to retrieve a firearm while in the seated position with an IWB or paddle holster is going to be difficult, and try that under stress.   An firearm in an ankle holster is very easy to access unless you’ve got problems reaching your ankles in the first place.   A shoulder holster is also a good way of carrying if you do a lot of driving.

One thing to always think about though, is the modern improvements in pepper sprays.   The Kimber Pepper Blaster is a very easy device to carry due to its smooth surfaces and easy to feel grip.   Put a bottle in  your pocket that only shoots in one direction and when you try and grab it, it’ll take a lot of practice to know which direction the spraying end is pointing.   This is a non issue with the Kimber Pepper Blaster   Each end feels completely different and you will be able to feel which end points towards the bad guy even if its in your pocket.   The 2 shot Guardian Angel is easy for a novice to use.   The only bad thing about them is they are more expensive than most bottle mace, but the longevity of the product is 2xs longer than pepper sprays.

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Fear of firearms

Kimber Guardian AngelI recently spoke to a friend who manages a gun shop.   We had a discussion about taking new shooters to the range and trying to break people in to not having a fear of having a firearm in their home.   I know of several family members who normally vote Democrat in National elections that all said that they thought about the fact that they did not have access to firearms if something like that ever ocurred in their hometown.    The idea of having extra food in the house before a snow storm isn’t paranoid, the idea of having smoke detectors in the home incase of fire is being paranoid, is having the ability to put out a fire in your house crazy when you can just let the fire company do it?   What about having some level of defense in  your home if some drunk shows up at your door at 2am or your husbands employee that was just fired wants to make an unexpected visit?

I never pressure people into owning firearms.   I always let that decision fall on the person buying a gun.   My job is to show them that having a firearm in their hands should be something that gives them confidence.   I’ve seen my share of CCW holders that I would not want to stand next to on a firing line due to poor firearm safety skills, so someone is going to have to put some time in to train with me before I tell them I think they are ready to carry one.   One thing I have heard several times recently is that somebody has a wife that says ” I will never have a gun in my home”.   I understand that, that is a mindset that probable can’t be negotiated with, but one thing I am not sympathetic to is any person with a family that does not have some defensive measures in place.   Guns are a lethal weapon that in untrained hands can be a hazard, and there are several other things that any Father or Mother should know are around to be used as weapons.    Kimber Guardian Angel, Tazers, Baseball bats, and last but not least, CO2 fire extinguishers can also be very effective.   If a women won’t consider having items like that around for self defense, I’m all for an annulment.

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