Keyword: 1911
The Series 70 Colt Government model pistols were introduced in the 1970’s as an update to the aging M1911A1 pistols. The series 70 handguns are differentiated from the series 80 models mostly by the fact the series 80 pistols incorporated a firing pin block.
The firing pin block is a much debated device as many people feel the block is needed. Some people feel the series 70 is an acceptable solution, though no one seriously makes the argument that the 70 is safer.
The Colt 1910 pistol was a prototype made for the United States Army as part of the development of the M1911 pistol. It is believed there were less than 15 of these pistols made.
The Colt Ace was a 1911 pistol developed as a .22 LR copy of the handgun for inexpensive practice for military troops. The Colt Ace is a relatively rare pistol to find in modern times.
Examples of the Colt Ace are located in the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield, MA.
Additional Resources:
The Detonics Combat Master was a small 1911 pistol that was the first commercially viable compact 1911. It was considered a really advanced design and was highly desired. Some parts, but not all, are interchangeable with mil-spec 1911 handguns.
The Detonics company went out of business, but has ben resurrected in recent years. Whether or not Detonics re-introduces the Combat Master remains to be seen.
Additional resources:
April 19th is National Garlic Day
On April 19, 1529 In Germany at the Diet of Spires (Speyer), a document signed by Lutheran leaders in fourteen cities lodged a “protest” which demanded a freedom of conscience and the right of minorities. Henceforth, the German Lutheran Reformers were known as “Protestants”.
April 19, 1587: English captain Francis Drake sinks the Spanish fleet in Cadiz harbour.
On April 19, 1775, British and American soldiers exchanged fire in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord. On the night of April 18, the royal governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, commanded by King George III to suppress the rebellious Americans, had ordered 700 British soldiers, under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Marine Major John Pitcairn, to seize the colonists’ military stores in Concord, some 20 miles west of Boston.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr19.html
April 19, 1783: Cessation of Hostilities, American Revolution
Less than a century later, when Civil War threatened to destroy the fledgling Republic of the United States of America, first blood was drawn on April 19, 1861, when a Baltimore mob attempted to stop Massachusetts troops heading for Washington, D.C. (Lincoln also ordered a blockade of Confederate ports on that same day.)
http://www.civilwarhome.com/baltimoreriot.htm
April 19 was designated as Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts in 1894 to commemorate the opening battles of the Revolutionary War in Lexington and Concord in 1775, and the end of the war in 1783.
April 20, 1889 Adolph Hitler born
April 19, 1903: Eliot Ness born
April 18 & 19, 1906: San Francisco earthquake and fire.
http://www.heraldnet.com/100/index.cfm?image=19apr1906#historic
The U.S. went off the gold standard on April 19, 1933, which wasn’t necessarily a violent event, although they may as well have sliced America’s jugular, it’s just a slower bleed this way.
http://www.parascope.com/articles/0497/april19.htm
April 19, 1939: Connecticut finally approves Bill of Rights.
April 19, 1943: Germans assault the Warsaw Ghetto
April 19, 1951 — Gen. Douglas MacArthur, dismissed by President Harry Truman as commander of the U.N. and Far East Commands, addresses a joint session of Congress April 19 quoting a line from a ballad: ”Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.” The packed chambers and gallery full of diplomats, military leaders and citizens, give standing ovations to the general before and after his speech, and interrupt him several times with prolonged applause.
http://www.dtic.mil/armylink/news/Apr2001/a20010418koreaapr18.html
April 19, 1989: A gun turret exploded aboard the USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors.
April 19, 1993: FBI Assault on the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco Texas. 81 people perished in that firestorm and gunfire.
April 19, 1995: One hundred sixty-eight people died in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
On April 19, 1996, the largest single-day total of tornadoes ever struck the state of Illinois. 36 tornadoes were documented, some as strong as F-3 on the Fujita tornado intensity scale. Tornadoes also were reported in parts of Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Kentucky.
http://redrock.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~jewett/Apr19/
April 19, 1997: Flooding from the Red River forced more than 50,000 residents to abandon Grand Forks, N.D.
http://www.draves.com/gf/gf041997.htm
April 20, 1999: 14 students (including killers) and 1 teacher killed, 23 others wounded at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., in the nation’s deadliest school shooting.
National Cyber Alert System, Authors: Mindi McDowell, Matt Lytle
Because of its popularity, the internet has become an ideal target for advertising. As a result, spyware, or adware, has become increasingly prevalent. When troubleshooting problems with your computer, you may discover that the source of the problem is spyware software that has been installed on their machine without their knowledge.
What is spyware?
Despite its name, the term “spyware” doesn’t refer to something used by undercover operatives, but rather by the advertising industry. In fact, spyware is also known as “adware.” It refers to a category of software that, when installed on your computer, may send you pop-up ads, redirect your browser to certain web sites, or monitor the web sites that you visit. Some extreme, invasive versions of spyware may track exactly what keys you type.
Because of the extra processing, spyware may cause your computer to become slow or sluggish. There are also privacy implications:
How do you know if there is spyware on your computer?
The following symptoms may indicate that spyware is installed on your computer:
To avoid unintentionally installing it yourself, follow these good security practices:
As an additional good security practice, especially if you are concerned that you might have spyware on your machine and want to minimize the impact, consider taking the following action:
Adjust your browser preferences to limit pop-up windows and cookies – Pop-up windows are often generated by some kind of scripting or active content. Adjusting the settings within your browser to reduce or prevent scripting or active content may reduce the number of pop-up windows that appear. Some browsers offer a specific option to block or limit pop-up windows. Certain types of cookies are sometimes considered spyware because they reveal what web pages you have visited. You can adjust your privacy settings to only allow cookies for the web site you are visiting (see Browsing Safely: Understanding Active Content and Cookies for more information).
How do you remove spyware?
See CyberCondoms for links to anti-spyware resources
The USA Patriot Act and the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act
Is the “War on Terrorism” becoming a war on Freedom?
Life is not safe. Freedom is an inherently risky proposition. Security is an illusion and safety a myth. The apostles of the nanny state continue to try to convince us that if we just pass enough rules and regulations and give up enough freedom, we will someday be safe and secure. Anyone who has lived more than a week on this planet knows that this just isn’t so. Recently, the bid to entice us to surrender our freedom for the illusion of security has taken the shape of two laws, The USA Patriot Act and the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act.
The USA Patriot Act
It falls like an obscenity on my ear to hear this radical assault on our civil liberties named “the USA Patriot Act.” “The Big Brother Act” or the “KGB Act” might be more appropriate handles.
Since September 11, 2001, I have been concerned about the use of “war” rhetoric in respect to the terrorist situation. Initially, it was just a vague discomfort with the analogy, but in time, my feelings have crystallized into some specific objections to the characterization of the 9-11 attack as an “act of war.”
Fundamentally, I consider the 9-11 attack to be not an act of war, but a criminal act. War is a transaction which takes place between armies composed of warriors who battle against each other, generally for particular political aims. If the armies intend to establish moral legitimacy for their political aims, they will operate under a code of rules. Put another way, they tend to behave with a nominal degree of honor and civility toward their foes and noncombatants. When this baseline standard of civilized behavior is crossed by torture, rape, and the slaughter of civilians and prisoners, we call this “war crime” and the perpetrators of these acts are prosecuted as criminals.
The 9-11 attack is noticeably missing armies, warriors, coherent political aims, and the nominal standards of civilized behavior which legitimate armies employ. The 9-11 attack was a crime, not a war. Warriors? Here are some warriors: Sitting Bull, Sgt. John Basilone, Baron von Richthofen, General Joe Fosse, Saladin, Rommel, Nathaniel Greene, T. E. Lawrence, Stonewall Jackson, Leonidas of Sparta, Moshe Dayan and the millions of other guys who have put on their nation’s uniform and gone in harm’s way. To call the Al Qaeda thugs “warriors” is to impart to them a dignity they do not deserve and have not earned.
Fascinating, but why is this important? It is vitally important because historically We the People have been willing to tolerate a temporary suspension of our civil rights during times of war. The Sedition Act Of July 14, 1798 declared that any treasonable activity, including the publication of “any false, scandalous and malicious writing,” was a high misdemeanor, punishable by fine and imprisonment. By virtue of this legislation twenty-five men, most of them editors of Republican newspapers, were arrested and their newspapers forced to shut down. Wartime restrictions of our civil rights often result in consequences far beyond their stated purposes. Nevertheless, certain restrictions of civil rights are necessary in times of war. One’s freedom of speech should not include the broadcast of convoy schedules which would allow the U-boats to pick them off the minute they sailed from port.
While the case can be made that our struggle with the forces of international terrorism is a sort of war, it is not a war in the traditional sense. We are at no risk of invasion, occupation, or the destruction of our government or military forces. The risk we face is for more suicidal vandalism and murder, again, crimes which will most likely be fought and handled more by law enforcement than by military forces. Soldiers aren’t trained to investigate crimes and track down bad guys; cops and spooks are.
So, why have our leaders and the mass media been so quick to embrace the “war” rhetoric rather than characterizing the event as the crime that it is? The answer is that we don’t willingly suspend our constitutional rights in response to crime in the way we have been willing to do in the past when war threatens. The USA Patriot Act gives sweeping new powers to law enforcement and does away with many restrictions on domestic surveillance by federal law enforcement and intelligence services. Many of these restrictions were put in place in response to the COINTELPRO operation of the 1960’s in which civil rights activists and anti-war protestors were spied upon and harassed by the FBI and the CIA, not because of any suspected criminal or espionage activity, but because of their politics.
The USA Patriot Act opens again the possibility of widespread domestic surveillance on dissident groups and individuals who may be critical of the federal government or particular politicians. The USA Patriot Act was rammed through the congress in the hysteria following the 9-11 attack and it did not receive the careful review and discussion which should be given a piece of legislation which has such far-reaching implications for the citizens of this country. Most of our legislators didn’t even read the 343 page law prior to voting on it. We the People deserve better attention to our civil rights from our elected representatives than this law represents.
“This law is based on the faulty assumption that safety must come at the expense of civil liberties,” Laura W. Murphy, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington National Office, said in that group’s analysis of the law. “The USA Patriot Act gives law enforcement agencies nationwide extraordinary new powers unchecked by meaningful judicial review.”
“At times like these, I think our constitutional rights are even more important,” she said. “There have been times when we relaxed these things — the McCarthy era, the ’60s civil rights struggle, the detention of the Japanese-Americans in World War II. We look back at those times with shame. … I think this will be another time we look back on with shame. That’s what I fear.” – Ann Arbor City Councilwoman Heidi Herrell
“It is my opinion that never before have we, as a nation, stood in greater danger of losing our individual liberties as we are today,” he said. “We, the people of this great nation, are being punished for the transgressions of our leaders and their consorts.” – Frank Serpico, the whistle-blowing ex-New York City cop.
I continue to hear the talking heads, particularly the media wonks, talking about 9-11 as “the day that changed America.” In my most charitable mood, I hope they mean that this day shook us out of our complacency and shattered our sense of being insulated from the rest of the world. But even if this most hopeful interpretation of a “changed America” is correct, and I doubt that, the statement is still an error of the highest magnitude and demands rebuke. America is not changed. You can’t change America with four jet airliners or a thousand because America is not a building, a piece of real estate, or even a border. America is an idea, a dream, and a vision. As long as there is one soul who believes in liberty, justice, and equality for all people, America will live, undimmed and unchanged.
That sounds pretty and poetic, but the fact of the matter is that we need a lot more than one soul to get concerned and motivated about the erosion of our civil rights that has occurred since the 9-11 attacks. If, in fact, the message is that we must give up our civil rights and cherished freedoms because “America has changed” then we have to preach, protest, demonstrate, sue, lobby, send cards and letters, and whatever else it takes to send the message that we are not willing to trade our liberty for some talking head’s vision of “security.”
Justice Dept. Drafts Sweeping Expansion of Anti-Terrorism Act
Center Publishes Secret Draft of ‘Patriot II’ Legislation
By Charles Lewis and Adam Mayle
(WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2003) — The Bush Administration is preparing a bold, comprehensive sequel to the USA Patriot Act passed in the wake of September 11, 2001, which will give the government broad, sweeping new powers to increase domestic intelligence-gathering, surveillance and law enforcement prerogatives, and simultaneously decrease judicial review and public access to information.
The Center for Public Integrity has obtained a draft, dated January 9, 2003, of this previously undisclosed legislation and is making it available in full text (12 MB). The bill, drafted by the staff of Attorney General John Ashcroft and entitled the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, has not been officially released by the Department of Justice, although rumors of its development have circulated around the Capitol for the last few months under the name of “the Patriot Act II” in legislative parlance.
Click Here for Full Text of Article
Presented here are some study resources for your consideration to inform and hopefully alarm you about this back channel cancellation of the Bill of Rights.
The USA Patriot ACT
The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798
USA Patriot Act-2001
Uniting and Strengthening America Act (H.R. 3162)
EFF Analysis of USA PATRIOT Act (Oct. 31, 2001
This is an excellent condensed summary of the points of concern in this law
How the USA-Patriot Act permits indefinite detention of immigrants who are not terrorists
How the USA PATRIOT ACT puts the CIA back in the business of spying on Americans
Thomas summary of H.R.3162, USA PATRIOT ACT,
“Although a number of its provisions are not controversial, the USA PATRIOT Act nevertheless stands out as radical in its design. To an unprecedented degree, the Act sacrifices our political freedoms in the name of national security and upsets the democratic values that define our nation…” Nancy Chang, Senior Litigation Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights
http://www.ccr-ny.org/whatsnew/usa_patriot_act.asp
“Morton Halperin, a defense expert who worked with the National Security Council under Henry Kissinger, worried in The New Yorker that if a government intelligence agency “thinks you’re under the control of a foreign government, they can wiretap you and never tell you, search your house and never tell you, break into your home, copy your hard drive, and never tell you that they’ve done it.” Moreover, says Halperin, on whose phone Kissinger placed a tap, “Historically, the government has often believed that anyone who is protesting government policy is doing it at the behest of a foreign government and opened counterintelligence investigations of them.”
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1109-02.htm
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation is, and should remain, not a police but an investigative service. … In my opinion, locally established and controlled police can never develop into the menace to general civil liberties that is inherent in a federal police.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0620-06.htm
Repeal the USA Patriot Act
The USA Patriot Act And The Us Department Of Justice: Losing Our Balances?
The USA PATRIOT Act Six Months Later: A Statement by Members of the Free Expression Network
This is an excellent summary of how H.R. 3162 impacts free expression and privacy
The USA Patriot Act: We Deserve Better
by Robert A. Levy, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute
Behind the USA Patriot Act
The Case of the Dirty Bomber
How a Chicago street gangster allegedly became a soldier for Osama bin Laden
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,262917,00.html
‘Dirty Bomb’ Suspect’s Case Goes Nowhere, Time Says
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The case against Jose Padilla, whose detention for allegedly plotting to build a “dirty bomb” was dramatically announced in June by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, is going nowhere and appears to have been “blown out of all proportion,” Newsweek reported on Sunday.
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20020811_115.html
Patriot Revolution?
Cities From Cambridge to Berkeley Reject Anti-Terror Measure
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/usapatriot020701.html
Is the police state here?
The American police state of the future may well work like Mexico, but with better plumbing
http://civilliberty.about.com/library/weekly/aa112601a.htm
The Press and the USA Patriot Act
Where Were They When It Counted?
http://www.counterpunch.org/presspatriot.html
Serpico Decries Anti-Terror Measures
Whistle-Blowing Ex-NYC Cop Frank Serpico Says Anti-Terror Measures Hurt ‘Individual Liberties’
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20020706_472.html
Dictatorship at Your Doorstep
Why “Anti-Terrorism” Laws Threaten You
http://www.isil.org/resources/lit/dictatorship-at-doorstep.html
The Terror of Pre-Crime
John Ashcroft recently released his guidelines for investigating people he suspects as terrorists, and these guidelines exceed even J. Edgar Hoover’s contempt for due process.
http://www.progressive.org/sept02/hen0902.html
Terror War Has Taken a Big Bite Out of Privacy, Report Says
There has been a rapid erosion of the right to privacy since the September 11 attacks in the United States, a top international privacy advocate group charges, and although Britain gets the most criticism for privacy violations, the U.S. comes in for some harsh censure.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/9/5/230518.shtml
FBI Grabbing More Wiretap Powers
Senators complain that the Justice Department is trying to assert more authority in federal wiretap cases than it was authorized to have under last year’s USA Patriot Act.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,62671,00.html
Rights Groups Oppose Expanded Wiretap Powers
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Center for National Security Studies, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Open Society Institute said expanding government surveillance powers would jeopardize constitutional protections.
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20020920_444.html
Law Permits Surveillance by FBI
Surveillance Law Permits ‘Black-Bag’ Searches, Phone-Bugging by FBI
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20021120_1532.html
The Attack on Civil Liberties
George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT ACT on October 26, after both the House and the Senate overwhelmingly approved most of John Ashcroft’s outline for fighting terrorism. The military tribunals and diminishment of laws that protect American’s privacy is meant to protect us. But is the legislation also terrorizing our fundamental rights?
http://villagevoice.com/specials/civil_liberties/
The Day the Constitution Died
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_1865.shtml
Ashcroft Takes Questions on Patriot Act
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,88649,00.html
Google News Search on USA Patriot Act
http://news.google.com/news?q=Patriot-Act&edition=usa
Adding Privacy to Patriot
Immediately after 9/11, many conservatives were understandably worried first and foremost about national security. This concern was shared by virtually all Americans whatever their political beliefs. In response, the Congress rushed through the legislation that came to be known as the USA-Patriot Act.
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/8/8/142618.shtml
PATRIOT ACT: Law’s use causing concerns
Use of statute in corruption case unprecedented, attorneys contend
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Nov-05-Wed-2003/news/22521283.html
Comments from the founding fathers on the USA Patriot Act
Samuel Adams
“If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”
Ben Franklin
“They that would give up essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Patrick Henry
“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” March 23, 1775
William Pitt
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.” Nov. 18, 1783
Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (MSEHPA)
The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (MSEHPA) would empower public health officials to impose police state conditions that would make ordinary martial law look like the Second Continental Congress in comparison. This boilerplate legislation was drafted at the Center for Law and the Public Health at Johns Hopkins, “A CDC collaborating center promoting public health through law,” and is being submitted to every state legislature in the United States for passage. Notice that you have heard next to nothing about this national campaign to put in place radical legislation which would abrogate the Bill of Rights whenever public health officials decided there was a threat to public health. They don’t want you to notice because they know that if you do, you will object to it in the most strenuous terms.
While biological weapons remain a concern which should be addressed by prudent planning and the stockpiling of antibiotics and vaccines, the bio-terrorism threat has proven thus far to be more scare than reality. Biological weapons are notoriously difficult to handle and deploy. Nevertheless, we are being conditioned by our alarmist news media to respond to this possibility in a manner which is totally disproportionate to the actual threat. Current investigation into the postal anthrax attacks is focusing on researchers and those who may have had access to U.S. bio-weapon research, not Al Qaeda or Hamas terrorists. While we cannot minimize or discount even a single death from anthrax, only five people died as a result of gobs of the powder being spread around in Florida, Washington D.C. and New York City. Even this “weapons grade” anthrax was not very effective as weapons go. A simple bomb would have done a lot more damage.
Recently, researchers at Stonybrook made a big splash in the media by producing polio virus in a lab with mail-order DNA and “instructions found on the internet.” (They neglected to mention that virtually every member of the U.S. population has been vaccinated for polio and its threat potential is about zero). Nevertheless, we are being conditioned to think that super deadly bio-weapons are hidden behind every rock and tree ready to destroy our civilization with anthrax, polio, and bubonic plague. With so many other threats on the radar screen that are far more concrete and immediate, it leads the inquiring mind to ask why this stealth legislation demands such an extreme sacrifice of our civil rights to address a threat which remains largely theoretical.
So what does this law do?
In the event of a declared public health emergency, MSEHP grants the governor extraordinary powers. These powers include the collection of data and records, the control of property, the management of persons, and access to communications. These powers include such things as forced vaccination and treatment (Section 504), the tracking of individuals (Section 202), access to patient records (Section 506), and the prohibition of firearms (Section 402(c)). The act requires judicial review for some actions. For example, for mandatory quarantine to be instigated, a written court order must authorize the action, unless delay would pose an immediate threat to the public.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200112201.asp
“This law treats American citizens as if they were the enemy,” – George Annas, chairman of the Health Law Department at the Boston University School of Public Health
“One seemingly unrelated ‘anti-terrorist’ proposal with potentially devastating effects on gun owners – already introduced in 14 state legislatures – is coming straight out of President Bush’s Health & Human Services Department, specifically, the Centers for Disease Control. It’s the 39-page Model Emergency Health Powers Act (MEHPA), which would give state health officers and their bosses new powers in the event of a public health emergency – including the power to seize and/or regulate the sale of ‘private property.’ It specifically includes the power to ‘control, restrict and regulate […] firearms [….]’ – Neil Knox
http://www.nealknox.com/sgn/sgn-archive/2002/sgn1-10-02.html
Of particular concern in the Act are the following provisions:
Broad Definitions
Loss of Civil Rights
Medical Privacy Violations
State Control
http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/dec/11/arbt121101.htm
The Model State Emergency Health Powers ACT
Center for Law and the Public Health at Johns Hopkins (the authors of the MSEHPA)
Draft of the MSEHPA in Acrobat Reader format
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Inc.
ACLU: What is wrong with MEHPA?
What You Need to Know About The Proposed Model State Emergency Health Powers Act in Your State
Review of The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act
Security Bill Raises Constitutional Concerns
Many States Reject Bioterrorism Law
Emergency health bill passing in many states
Measure grants government ‘dictatorial powers’ during crisis
“Although a number of its provisions are not controversial, the USA PATRIOT Act nevertheless stands out as radical in its design. To an unprecedented degree, the Act sacrifices our political freedoms in the name of national security and upsets the democratic values that define our nation…”
Nancy Chang, Senior Litigation Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights
“…never before have we, as a nation, stood in greater danger of losing our individual liberties as we are today.”
– Frank Serpico, the whistle-blowing ex-New York City cop.
By Sen. Mark Hillman
07-01-2003
As we observe the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this Fourth of July, we should consider the unique form of government for which our Founding Fathers chose to risk ‘their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor’ against the militarily-superior British.
The definitive passage in the Declaration reads: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
In these 57 words, the Founders established that:
– Our rights, better understood as “freedoms,” are given to us by a power higher than government. No matter what you believe about creation or evolution, you must acknowledge that government did not give us life.
– Government’s legitimate purpose is to protect the rights of the people. Just as government did not give us life, it did not give us our rights, either.
– Government’s powers are limited to only those given to it by the people.
“The whole point was to show how government might arise legitimately, not to assume its existence,” writes constitutional scholar Roger Pilon in The Purpose and Limits of Government published (Adobe Acrobat PDF) by Cato Institute.
Pilon’s insights are particularly useful because, as a libertarian, he does not advance a religious conservative agenda. Yet he acknowledges that the Founders’ common view of “the laws of Nature and Nature’s God” provide the cornerstone for all that follows:
We hold these truths to be self-evident….
The signers of the Declaration didn’t negotiate and compromise to define truth. They agreed that certain fundamental truths were obvious. For example:
…That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…
In that each of us exists because of the same creative process, the rights to which each of us are entitled are necessarily equal. Such rights are best understood as freedoms from interference, either by government or by other people which, of course, implies that others are entitled to be free from our interference.
Freedom encompasses not simply the opportunity to make choices but the responsibility for those choices. Freedom does not mean that because my choice seems “superior” I can bend others to my will, nor does it mean that when I make an irresponsible choice I can restrict the freedom of others to impose consequences.
…That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
Once the Founders established a broad universe of rights, they discussed government, the sole purpose of which is to protect those rights. Again it is imperative to understand “rights” as freedoms – not as an entitlement taken at the expense of another¹s rights.
When government legitimately protects our freedom, it simply does that which we have a right to do ourselves. By contrast, government does not act legitimately if it secures my rights by taking the life, liberty or property of someone else.
Occasionally, the rights of two people may conflict; neither can fully exercise freedom without adversely affecting the other. The Founders concluded that in these circumstances, the boundaries between competing rights ought to be drawn by the people whom government serves. However, the consent doctrine does not empower majority rule to deny unalienable freedoms to the minority.
Sadly, this concept of vast individual freedoms and occasional areas of government power bears little resemblance to our federal government today, which is why it is so vitally important that our young people learn about the foundation of our government before electing someone to lead it.
Sen. Mark Hillman, R-Burlington, represents 12 counties on the Eastern Plains.
By Jim Higginbotham
The .45 ACP is not a very powerful cartridge. Now that may come as a shock to those who are thinking “if this is an argument in favor of the .45 auto then I’d hate to see the other side”. It might come as even more of a shock for those who recognize me as a vocal – if not infamous – supporter of the cartridge for self defense. I start my treatment of this subject this way because too often we tend to exaggerate a bit when developing positions in the eternal debate of which cartridge is best for a given mission.
The mission, in our case, is obvious but, never the less, must be stated. The mission of the defensive pistol is to save the life of its user – or an innocent third party he is authorized to use lethal force to protect. In more specific terms it is to end a lethal attack as expeditiously as possible. Since it takes very little time for an attacker to strike a potentially mortal blow (either with a firearm, edged weapon or blunt instrument) then it is imperative that the cartridge chambered in your sidearm be as effective as practicable – for you may not have the luxury of more than one or two shots before the blow is struck.. In truth, no handgun round is effective enough on a determined human attacker to achieve this goal unless the central nervous system is disrupted (this does not mean just hit – it means serious damage must be done to the brain or spine). Unfortunately, these targets are extremely hard to locate on a three dimensional target in a dynamic situation and are next to impossible to hit reliably. That leaves us with disabling the adversary by causing a loss of blood pressure, and thereby, depriving the brain of oxygen which brings about gradual incapacitation. While no handgun round (and few rifle rounds) are effective instantly with this type of hit, some do a better job than others. Obviously, the faster we can drop blood pressure the quicker the incapacitation. The simple fact is, the bigger the hole(s) the faster the drop in blood pressure. I cannot find any evidence of some “force” or “energy” or any other property which causes rapid incapacitation (as opposed to relatively slow incapacitation due to clinical shock) in and of itself. Of course a simple way to increase the size of the hole is to shoot again, repeatedly and often. However, in trained hands, at normal defense ranges (about 10 feet or less) a .45 Auto can be fired as fast and accurately as a .22 auto. It is more a matter of training than of caliber choice up to a point. Depending on the shooter, and to some extent the weight of the gun, somewhere about the level of the .41 or .44 Magnum full power loads we get into recoil that is unmanageable in rapid fire for most people.
I see a hand raised at the back of the room. “What about ‘hydra-static shock’?” I do not mean to sound boastful or arrogant but I have been experimenting with firearms in the hunting field for over 30 years and I have been involved in law enforcement both as an officer and a trainer for over a quarter of a century. Does that make me the ultimate expert – absolutely not! What it does mean is that I have been searching for answers to terminal ballistic questions for a long time. In that time I have shot a lot of game, interviewed a lot of folks who have been shot, have been shot myself and seen dozens of films and videos of people actually being shot. I have shot critters from 10 to 400 pounds (and witnessed bigger stuff go down) with bullets from .22 to .70 caliber and velocities in excess of 4,000 fps. I have not noticed anything consistent that I could call “hydra-static shock” other than in vermin in the 10 to 30 pound weight range and shot with fragile bullets that impacted at 3000 fps or more. I have shot larger animals with bullets that impacted at well above 3,000 fps and, while the permanent wound cavities were impressive in some cases, I have not noticed any consistent “magic” instant incapacitation when bullets did not strike the Central Nervous System (CNS) or at least hit close. If a 150 gr. Rifle bullet at 3500 fps (.300 Weatherby) will not instantly take down a deer by virtue of its “hydrostatic shock” or “kinetic energy dump” with a lung or heart shot, then what chance does a 9mm have (or a .45) at 1/3 the velocity? Having studied terminal ballistics on both game and humans I have concluded that a 200 pound deer is much easier to incapacitate than a 200 pound determined attacker (note that there are many cases of “undetermined” attackers who have been stopped by warning shots, insignificant wounds or even threats).
Some advocates of small to medium calibers usually opine that shot placement is far more important than any considerations of caliber or “power”. They are ALMOST right. The key to rapid incapacitation is, of course, what the bullet destroys. This is not exactly the same as “shot placement”. Once the bullet strikes the surface of a target “shot placement” has run its course, what the bullet actually destroys inside the body is now subject to terminal ballistic properties. The .22 long rifle solid is noted for its tendency to tumble and change course after it impacts a large target. It is quite “lethal” though it is not noted to be a “stopper”. No doubt, however, if a .22 bullet strikes the brain or the spinal cord (with enough force to damage it) rapid incapacitation would be a result. The trouble is a bullet that is placed perfectly, say on the sternum, may deflect or disintegrate and not reach the organ it was intended to destroy.
So, if what the bullet hits, and the amount of permanent damage done to vital organs is the key to stopping an attack then what is wrong with using medium bore cartridges like the 9mm or the .357 Magnum. In truth, IF one is willing to take the conservative approach with well constructed bullets which might expand a bit but will “stay the course” and penetrate to the vitals from all angles, there is little wrong with them. The trouble is that pundits and experts want to push the “shock” or “energy” properties to the maximum and that leads to light weight, fragile bullets which are less likely to penetrate to the back of the chest wall or to the spine. This does result in some spectacular wounds and in some cases of rapid incapacitation. But it also results in spectacular failures, exemplified by the failures of the 9mm silver-tip in the infamous “Miami Massacre” or the gunfight in which trooper Mark Coates shot his assailant 5 times center mass with a .357 Magnum, only to be killed with a .22 mini revolver.
Even modern technology does not completely overcome the laws of physics. This fall I shot two animals with the hot 9 X 23 cartridge. I used both the Winchester USA factory load – a 125 gr soft point at about 1525 fps from my 5″ 1911 and a handload of a Speer 124 gr. Gold Dot at just under 1600 fps. This performance is at the upper end of the scale for medium bore defense loads. These loads both expanded a little (but not like the pictures in magazines) and held their weight fairly well and both penetrated about 10″. While both hit ribs, neither hit major bone except the Gold Dot which bumped up against a leg bone on the off side with no damage, ending its travel. While neither bullet was by any means a failure neither was the damage done to the animals spectacular. Both produced holes in lung tissue about the size of your thumb. I have seen similar wounds with .45 ball bullets that tumbled (this happens in large targets as often as not).
One might logically ask “so why choose a .45 if a good 9mm produces equal wounds?” The simple answer is that, while the best (or worst depending on your point of view) 9mm wounds are about equal to the least effective .45s – and in some cases produce even larger diameter but shallower wounds – you pay for this by compromising the consistency of your cartridge performance. A 9mm hollowpoint that gives consistent 12 inch penetration in ordnance gelatin in the lab sometimes gives 8 – 10″ penetration in real flesh and blood targets and sometimes it gives 3 or 4″ penetration and I have seen as little as 1/2″ penetration with 125 gr. .38 +P jhp (and no it did not disintegrate nor glance off – it just stopped). If you happen to be shooting the one that gives 3″ penetration (and poor Mark Coates had 5 in a row with his Magnum) then it does not matter if you shoot well – you might as well be shooting spit wads.
So far we are comparing the best medium bores to the least spectacular larger bores. If you compare bullets of similar technology the larger bore shows proportional performance. A .45 230 gr. Ball round destroys about 1.7 times as much tissue as a 9mm ball round. A 230 gr. .45 jhp destroys about 1.7 time as much tissue as a 9mm 124 jhp that expands. The thing is, due to its mass the 230 grain .45 gives more consistent penetration. While it is difficult, you can make a .45 an inefficient performer. You do this by lightening the bullet and increasing the velocity. While some 185 gr. .45’s, reportedly, are well constructed and give fairly consistent penetration, some are not. I have had 185 gr. Winchester Silver-Tips fail to penetrate 8 pound ground hogs – this is not confidence inspiring.
While I have come across some lethal encounters that took a lot of rounds to settle they mostly were the result of either poor hits (or complete misses) or lack of penetration. Nearly all of the high round count cases I have reviewed involved 9mms, .38s, .357’s or smaller calibers. This is not to say they do not occur with major caliber rounds. It is to say I have been collecting data for 30 years and have not encountered many cases in which multiple hits (more than three as two or three shots are a fairly normal reflex action) from major caliber cartridges to the center of the chest have not been sufficient, – the single exception being a case involving the .41 Magnum loaded with JSP bullets which did not expand – they did penetrate – it took five hits center mass to stop the attacker – and have not encountered any with the .45, even with Ball. I have encountered several with 5, 6 or even more hits to the center of the chest with .38, .357, 9mm and .223 rifle rounds failing to stop. Almost every one could be traced to lack of penetration with a couple of exceptions that hit the heart but just did not cause enough damage to be effective quickly. Note I am not talking about “torso” hits. There is a lot of area in the torso in which a hit will seldom produce rapid incapacitation even if hit by a 12 ga. slug or a 30-06 – we simply cannot count such data if we are going to learn anything.
Please note that I am not saying you should avoid cartridge X because it has a track record of 50% “stops” and there are cartridges with better records – the information available in these data bases is simply unusable to predict what a cartridge will do in terms if incapacitation. It is thought by some analysts that in as many as 50% of recorded cases the subject stopped the fight for psychological reasons – and this is not a caliber issue – so we cannot use such data to support conclusions about power. Add to this that many data bases are polluted by inclusion of bad hits or a questionable definition of “incapacitation” and we get into very muddy water. What we can do is take note of the failures and try to figure out the cause.
So, do the medium bores lack “stopping power”, “shocking power” or what ever term you choose to use. Yes they do. So do the .45 Auto and the .44 magnum and the .223 so that is not the defining issue. The issue is that they are less likely to drive their bullet – given equal placement – through an important target with adequate damage to the organ. In short, in the popular loads, they fail to reach or damage their intended target more often than the larger calibers. To be sure there is the issue of overpenetration but I feel that it is overblown. There are so many different types of tissue and bone in the human anatomy that one cannot precisely predict how much penetration he will need nor how much he will get. We have seen where bullets that give 14″ of penetration consistently in ordnance gelatin can sometimes give 3″ in the human body. We need a good bit more margin for error than this for rounds to be effective in their mission. Personally I want rounds that give 12 to 14 inches in gelatin as a minimum, not a maximum and frankly I really want 18 inches but there are few loads with give this and expand also.
In conclusion, having a reasonable amount of experience and study I have no doubt that the larger caliber handguns are more effective that the smaller ones, given exactly the same placement of bullets on the surface of the target, but not because of some energy, force or power which bowls people over or carries some sort of “shock”. It is because they more consistently drill holes – larger holes – through the intended organs. Does that mean they are better for you. Perhaps, but if you do not shoot your weapon well it does not matter. On the other hand I have encountered cases in which people shot their medium bores well – extremely well – and still died because their bullet did not do their job. It is a dilemma of some import.
Perhaps the best advice I have heard on this matter is “shoot the biggest caliber you can handle”. My admonition is, don’t settle for less if you don’t really have to. And if you do have to, use a bullet that will drive through to the vital organs from any angle and through simple barriers (like arms). There are many other factors to selecting a defense handgun, capacity, ergonomics, reliability, accuracy, concealability and so forth (not in that order). All are at least as important as the caliber you select but remember – failure in any one area means failure to carry out the mission. What I am saying is don’t get lulled into the idea that the choice of caliber is unimportant or that a medium bore is big enough if the weapon meets all the other requirements, because …. a .45 is not big enough!
Appendix 1: Ammunition
I don’t like to give recommendations as to specific loads. The main reason for this is that manufacturers change these loads at will, especially the composition of the bullet and they do not give notice. This can greatly effect the performance of the load. Still folks like to have some idea so I will offer the following as a general guideline:
1. Loads to avoid due to inconsistent penetration: Glaser Safety Slugs, Mag-Safe or other “pre-fragmented” bullets. Winchester 185 gr Silver-Tip. While I have no experience with the Federal 165 P.D. load I suspect it is also too light to give consistent penetration if bone is hit.
2. Loads which give 12 to 14 inches of penetration and good expansion (.70 to .80 caliber): Federal 230 gr. Hydra-Shok, Winchester 230 gr. Black Talon (or newer +P Ranger), Speer Lawman 230 gr. Gold Dot, Remington 230 gr. Golden Saber. This list is not all inclusive. Not doubt there are others that will work but I have used the ones listed.
3. Observations from the hunting field – not recommendations just a general report (handloads for defense are discouraged). The Winchester 230 gr. JHP handloaded to 1040 fps is an outstanding performer on deer and wild boar giving complete penetration on broadside shots and expanding to about .77 caliber. The 200 gr. Hornady XTP will disintegrate at about 1500 fps (from a .45 Win Mag.) and loses its jacket at about 1100 fps. The Sierra 185 gr Power Jacket expands to about .90 at 1150 fps but only penetrates about 8 to 10 inches and will break up on heavy bone. 230 gr. FMJ-RN often tumbles on game in the 200 pound range giving about 14 – 18 inches of penetration. A 260 gr. Keith bullet can be loaded to 1000 fps in a 5″ .45 auto and can go lengthwise through a 200 pound deer – it is far less likely to tumble than RN.