Workers' Compensation Discussion Forums

INCOMING FIRE HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY


Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch, is part drill instructor, and part stand up comic.
Here are a few of his observation on tactics, firearms, self defense and life as we know it in the civilized world.
"The handgun would not be my choice of weapon if I knew I was going to a fight....I'd choose a rifle, a shotgun, an RPG or an atomic bomb instead."
"The two most important rules in a gunfight are: always cheat and always win."
"Every time I teach a class, I discover I don't know something."
"Don't forget, incoming fire has the right of way."
"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get Killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty."
"If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not Loadin, you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna cut Your head off and put it on a stick."
"When you reload in low light encounters, don't put your flashlight in your back pocket.. If you light yourself up, you'll look like an angel or the tooth fairy...and you're gonna be one of 'em pretty soon."
"Do something. It may be wrong, but do something."
"Nothing adds a little class to a sniper course like a babe in a Ghilliesuit."
"Shoot what's available, as long as it's available, until something else becomes available."
"If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That's ridiculous..If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have to be paranoid for."
"Don't shoot fast, shoot good."
"You can say 'stop' or 'alto' or use any other word you think will work but I've found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much the universal language."
"You have the rest of your life to solve your problems. How long you live depends on how well you do it."
"You cannot save the planet. You may be able to save yourself and your family."
"Thunder Ranch will be here as long as you'll have us or until someone makes us go away and either way it will be exciting."
More Excellent Gun Wisdom.......
The purpose of fighting is to Win. There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.
1. Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to Fight, he'll just kill you.
2. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
3. I carry a gun cause a cop is too heavy.
4. When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away.
5. A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him 'Why do you carry a 45?' The Ranger responded, 'Because they don't make a 46.'
6. An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous regularity.
7. The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a lady commented on his wearing his sidearm. 'Sheriff, I see you have your pistol. Are you expecting trouble?' 'No ma'am. If I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my rifle.'
8. Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it!
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he
loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton
A people that values its privileges above its principles will soon lose both.
Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not.' - Thomas Jefferson-

this is from me

5 children were killed every day in gun related accidents and suicides committed with a firearm, from 1994-1998.
An average of 5 children were killed every day in gun related accidents and suicides committed with a firearm, from 1994-1998.
--Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, National Injury Mortality Statistics, 1994-1998

40% of American households with children have guns.
--Peter Hart Research Associates Poll, July 1999

22 million children live in homes with at least one firearm.
34% of children in the United States (representing more than 22 million children in 11 million homes) live in homes with at least one firearm. In 69 percent of homes with firearms and children, more than one firearm is present.
--The RAND Corporation, "Guns in the Family: Firearm Storage Patterns in U.S. Homes with Children," March 2001, an analysis of the 1994 National Health Interview Survey and Year 2000 objectives supplement. Also published as Schuster et al., "Firearm Storage Patterns in U.S. Homes with Children," American Journal of Public Health 90(4): 588-594, April 2000

A gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used in an unintentional shooting, than to be used to injure or kill in self-defense.
A gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used in an unintentional shooting, a criminal assault or homicide, or an attempted or completed suicide than to be used to injure or kill in self-defense.
---Journal of Trauma, 1998

In 1997, gunshot wounds were the second leading cause of injury death for men and women 10-24 years of age.
In 1997, gunshot wounds were the second leading cause of injury death for men and women 10-24 years of age -- second only to motor vehicle crashes -- while the firearm injury death rate among males 15-24 years of age was 42% higher than the motor vehicle traffic injury death rate.
---Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 1999

In the U.S, children under 15 commit suicide with guns at a rate of eleven times the rate of other countries combined.
For children under the age of 15, the rate of suicide in the United States is twice the rate of other counties. For suicides involving firearms, the rate was almost eleven times the rate of other countries combined.
---U.S. Department of Justice, March 2000

Guns in the home are the primary source for firearms that teenagers use to kill themselves in the United States.
Studies show that guns in the home are the primary source for firearms that teenagers use to kill themselves.
---Injury Prevention, 1999

I've been to Clint's classes at the old Ranch twice and new ranch once and hope to go again. I now own a Baer .223 Thunder Ranch defense rifle, rotated out my .40 S&W Beretta PSX for a short 12 ga for the home/bedroom and enjoy going to the club with my wife to plink .22 silhouette walks and skeet and sporting clasy with my teenage sons who both got their first shotguns for their 12th birthday and have both captained their High School air rifle teams.

so far so good......

Oh my god Cycler, No pun intended but I have took you for a woman all this time. As far as buying your sons thier first shotguns at age 12, from your previous statement through time here I believe you have taught them to respect gun saftey. I also have plenty of guns and I keep them locked up and at my mothers in a huge lock box (huge).. Reason being the wife & I are gone often and we are like the teenage hangout and although I have complete trust in my son I wont risk it with other children in the house...

Really I dont meen anything bad by my post......since this is the first time you gave any clue.................Bronco

Hi all... living on the east coast has given me a lot of different view points about guns in the home. However, the one thing that remains consistent in my mind and my belief's is that we all have the "right to bear arms." However, as there are with anyother "right" there are responsibilities. In the case of guns in the homes, the responsibilities are numerous and not owned by just the gun owners.

My greatest belief is if anyone or any family believes they have the "right" to own a gun and have it within their home, then they have a responsibility to assure that EDUCATION occurs. Going out to buy a gun, registering that gun, are all the easy parts. Next comes doing all the prep work that a person buying a gun needs to prepare for..for instance:
1. Storage
2. Safety
3. Location of Bullits versus guns.
4. Education about the guns from how to use, safety of guns, impact of guns on life, why there is a gun in the house and so forth.
5. Identifying who is in the house can have access to a gun.
6. Identifying who is in the house is at risk of harming themselves or others due to maybe age, mental health, voilent issues, poor coping habits and so much more.

this list will go on and on. There is no doubt that my family before they bought a gun with over all of them with my brothers and I, because they all owned guns as children themselves for deer hunting etc. However, when we were old enough to understand, we were taught safety and everything listed above plus some. Never on my life would I get a gun out of our gun cabinet even though when I grew older around 12 years old I knew where the key was located... would remove a gun without my parents. My parents instilled a fear of guns that is very real today. Fear of accidents and that impact...fear of forgetting to hook the saftely latch..on the older guns... I learn to shoot when I was very young, so did Del. Del is an expert shot. He would not miss what he is shooting at. If parents have respect for the guns in the house, then most likely most of the kids will also. That is how it was on the west coast. Here is a pic of me and my two brothers following our Christmas presents...each of us recieve a gun..I believe this was my 2nd gun. I believe I am holding a 30-0-30.

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However, now I am on the east coast. I see no reason not own a gun, but here I would not advertise it or let anyone know that I do have gun. I would not have a gun cabinet as my dad always did or haul a rifle on the back window of a pick up truck as my dad always did, becasue honeset it would not be safe at all. This is a very different enviroment. There is some hunting such as where Backache and her husband live, but not very much not in relationship to our population. Mostly if someone has a gun here, it will end up being used thoughtlessly. The schools do not educate about guns here, it is almost a taboo..to speak of...we do not have hunting safety courses in the schools as we did in Oregon, and I guess..it just doesn't make sense to have a gun. What 1171 posted is so very true in this area. Daily on our Philadelphia news there was a drive by shooting and some child was killed while on their front porch of their row home. Daily college kids are held up at gun point. It doesn't even all hit the news becasue it is an every day occurrance. Gun control is needed more th an ever in this area, but mostly I believe,....it comes down to culture..education..opportunity... etc etc.etc... so what do we do. I believe we regulate how guns are used just as we are doing without punishing those who have been using guns for ages without incident. I say that, and through a heavy heart I will tell you that I have lost 4 uncles and 1 grandfather to suicide by a gun. It was not an accident it was intentional. I know this sounds like a lot and it is, but remember that my father a lone has 6 brothers, my mothers family has 8 brothers,and my other family who I have included in these numbers becasue we were raised as three families that were one set of family... had 12 brothers... so I had 3 grandfathers and 1 of them, not my biological grandfather shot himself in march 1973. So maybe having a gun is not a good idea at all..I don't have the answer.... but I do know just as in everything else...education risk management and supervision is of most importance. To eliminate these three components and yet have a gun in your home is pure foolishness I believe... ... best of luck to all... good conversation,...hope I made sense... don't laugh at my pic... I believe I was about 8 years old. Red[attachment=503]

1171, That was a good article and food for thought.

I grew up with guns in my home and my children grew up with guns in our home. but were taught from a early age the safety of a gun and that they are not toys. I would go to the shoting rage with my Father when I was only 6 years old and spent time in gun saftey class when I turned 8. I use to hunt with my ex-husband and my father. My children have guns and all have been taught gun saftey and that there guns are not toys and to never take ther gun out of the closet if there is any one else around and not ever discuss there guns with there friends. They are all grown now and they still make sure ther guns are put away and not taken out when others are around.

I think everyone has the right to own a gun , but if they are going to own then they have a responsibly to to use gun safety.

I have had guns around all my life...my Grandparents had them my parents have them I have them My grown kids have them ..we all at a young age were taught they were not toys...people shot with real guns die ....the kids know this .... we all we reaised with respect for others every child I have over ther age of 12 is an expert marksmen and can breakdown their gun/rifle in the dark clean it and put it back together(my honeys and their military training comes in here)....the younger ones know to leave them be they dont belong to them.....They are taught if it isnt theirs they dont touch no matter what it was gun or toy.....I am a expert marksman I hit what I aim at...I am not afraid to use any of my guns to protect my family my Husband and kids are/were not afraid to pick up their guns to protect YOUR families safety.....Are my guns loaded? we live in the country if I dialed 911 it would be at the best 30 minutes before someone could get here.. in 5 minutes someone could kill/injure/rape my family.....what do you think?If you dont own a gun you better really trust that a cop can get to you and yours in less than 30 seconds cuz thats all it takes.....

Still, you make some good points, I also grew up with guns, my father was an avid hunter. But I hate them. I have known 2 young people that were killed. and seen others that some have never heard about. A 6 year old , who was tought from his parents not to touch the guns, , safety etc, but one day shot his neighbor, as the parents weren't home and peer pressure to look at the gun. Even though the amo was hidden, never under estimate the power of a child. He found it ,loaded the gun, pointed it at his friend and pulled the trigger.
The other was a 17 year old who was raised with guns, took his dad's rifle went to his bedroom sat on the bed and shot himself, because his girl friend had broke up with him. Your right Guns don't kill people, people do. But my opinion is if the guns weren't in the house or locked away in a safe place those 2 young people may still be alive.

This problem will never be solved because there will always be guns, legal or illegal. But I have a choice and I choose not to have one. So that is my opinion.