For the millionth time somewhere on the internet I have read something about firearms being "left to trained professionals, like the police and military."
They never like it when I respond with the awkward truth: The only people with worse gun skills than soldiers are cops.
I know that my gun nut readers who serve our country in the military or law enforcement are grinning ruefully and nodding as they read that.
I'll say this though, from most recent photographic evidence, trigger-finger discipline has advanced light years in the military in the last decade or two, even if muzzle discipline still seems to be pretty atrocious.
Working first in Iraq and now in Afghanistan I see atrocious muzzle conciousness every day and I've developed a deep dislike for horizontal shoulder holsters. The kids are pretty good at keeping their boogerhooks out of the trigger guard, but few seem to have any comprehension at just who their muzzle is pointing at.
ReplyDeleteEven with hot mags in the well, they are not supposed to have a round in the chamber (Rule #1 - every gun is loaded). I've gotten used to mortars and rockets and other exciting things, but I certainly do not want to get used to observing poor muzzle control.
With as obsesive as the military is with safety and how quickly and throughly they've trained to keep fingers out of the trigger guards, I've got good hope that they'll be taking on muzzle control in training.
Awkward? How about "inconvenient"?
ReplyDelete(Snicker)
I wonder how many of them feel the exercise of free speech should be left only to journalists working for 'accredited' papers? Or that freedom of religion should be left only to certified priests of government-approved religions?
ReplyDeleteThe other infantry guys I've been working with here are all very conscious of muzzle control.
ReplyDeleteOf course coming out of the Signal Corps I know that we didn't have the emphasis on gun safety that the infantry does.
Slowly but surely things are getting better.
Jimro
I just bought a copy of the Kurosawa movie "7 Samurai".
ReplyDelete"What can we do against them? We are simple farmers".
Of course the most brave of the Samurai is the child of simple farmers.
Humans learn, and can easily learn enough about modern weapons to defend themselves.