Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Tab Clearing...

  • Jim at the Travis McGee Reader attended the Iowa Straw poll and has a series of posts on the topic written in his inimitable style. I was somewhat disappointed to see no photographs of actual straws.

  • Santa Rosa, CA PD SWAT sets up a little display for the kiddies at a neighborhood festival, including a couple of firearms on the junk-on-the-bunk table. Said kiddies are allowed (under supervision) to touch. The Eloi at the local newspaper issue a Code Brown PSH Alert. Good thing the Army recruiters didn't set up a booth; those guys bring 240 Bravos and grenade launchers.

17 comments:

Tango Juliet said...

You simply couldn't pay me enough to live in CA.

Anonymous said...

TJ: Ditto. I escaped way back in '78, never been back, never will.

cap'n chumbucket

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

That big earthquake can't happen soon enough in CA. Sorry for all who live there and/or love the place, but it's past time for the failed state to sink.

Bram said...

Family day in my National Guard armored unit had kids crawling through M1's, riding M113's through the woods, handling 120mm mortars, and Mk19's. Obviously ammo never left the arms lockers.

Themadlemming said...

When I was in JROTC in high school, some soldiers brought two humvees for us to check out. One had a TOW mounted and the other a M-60. If the SWAT display gave them a Code Brown, I can only imagine what that would have done.

Anonymous said...

"But police and event organizers defended the display as a successful community outreach effort that is in line with the department's efforts to demystify law enforcement generally and its SWAT team in particular.“ Demystify, yes. Acculturate, yes. Guns are cool, but it used to be that the primary tool of the policeman was a set of handcuffs. There are still officers who somehow used to get the job done with a revolver. When they arm them, clothe them, and equip them like the army, people think of them like an occupying army. I would think that Officer Friendly would serve the purpose of community outreach far better. Remember, we want these kids to be willing to help or at least be willing to talk to the police one day should the need arise. SWAT does not equal Jedi. "The police is the public and the public is the police." Besides I bet that sniper scope is hard to use while laying down automatic fire. If only it had one of those shoulder things that goes up... -8notch

Tam said...

8notch,

""The police is the public and the public is the police.""

Damn right. I have a dot-sighted carbine to defend myself, why can't Officer Friendly? That works both ways, you know.

Lewis said...

No particular order:

Jim at TMcGR gets it! Yay Ron Paul!

I think the police should be issued nerf bats and whistles, and otherwise be allowed to arm themselves just like regular civilians---to include suppressed SBRs with happy switches! And dot sights!

I like that the Eloi who freaked out is named Attila Nagy. I really like that.

Dirt Sailor said...

That article has nearly every square for my "Reporter writing about guns" bingo card. Holy crap.

staghounds said...

City councilwoman was "devastated" to see a (little brown) child touch a gun.

However, she seems undevastated by the fact that

"The police presence was welcomed by residents, some of whom were concerned about attending an evening event in their park, said Oscar Chavez, executive director of Community Action Partnership".

Randy said...

I thought it was interesting that the reporter called it a "fully-automatic assault rifle but couldn't resist labeling the optic a "sniper scope". If your only tool is hyperbole I guess all articles look like a good place to write it.

Stretch said...

Family Days at Ft. Belvoir had me climbing over M-60 tanks (ya, I'm that old), hefting M-60 machine guns and loading dummy rounds in 105 recoil-less rifles.
Yo Bram, glad to know M113s are still around. I road a M59 APC.
Diesels and treads. Life is good.

Anonymous said...

If SOMEBODY would give the writers and others like him a REAL JOB, perhaps there would be no need for a "code Brown" at this event. Sigh.

Ulises from CA

Jim said...

Thanks for the lnk, Tam, and as to:

>>>I was somewhat disappointed to see no photographs of actual straws.<<<

There were no actual straws present, but hayseed was plentiful. :)

Montie said...

OMG, it's a FULLY AUTOMATIC ASSAULT RIFLE with a SNIPER SCOPE being handled by (gasp) a child! Gosh it's good to be so ignorant of the things you fear the most.

Gee, I guess no one gave any thought to the fact that handling all that cool cop gear might just persuade some of those kids to go down a different path, like maybe aspiring to be a police officer instead of a gang-banger...just sayin'.

Thank God when we do these sort of events in Oklahoma no one cares or pays much attention to us letting the kiddies handle the gear, since it's pretty much just like the rifle they have at home ;)

mikee said...

I distinctly recall the Army visit to my small southern university in 1977. They brought an Apache attack helicopter, and let us students climb in and handle the knobs.

The young officer showing it off said to me as I climbed in, "If you get it started you can fly it." Frustratingly complex was the instrument panel, and I suspect he had pulled a fuse or two just to be safe.

I remembered that officer very clearly some years later, the first time I played with a flight simulator in an Apple-based Indiana Jones game. I bet they don't say things like that too often now.

Ian Argent said...

Sort of on-topic: what's the breakdown of the team you use to clear a tab, and do you toss flash-bang or a propane tank wrapped in detcord into the tab before you go in?