First Responders

Everyone has it bass-ackwards

Almost every day we see or hear the term "First Responders" used incorrectly.  The media, the government and even most people use the term completely wrong.  Actually, the term is the product of the bureaucratic mind.

The term Certified First Responder means someone with advanced emergency medical training.  Someone who is more trained than just the basic Red Cross First Aid & CPR programs, but who is not an EMT or physician.  Even here, the media and often the government forget to use the qualifier "certified" in daily talk.

The true first responder to any crisis, disaster or life-threatening event is you. It will be you who first responds when a man or woman collapses in the mall.  It will be you who responds when a child starts choking on a happy meal.  You, the ordinary citizen will be first on the scene long before some government paid, bureaucratically anointed citizen arrives. 

In terms of crime, you will be the first responder if you're the victim of a crime or you are at the scene when the crime goes down before your eyes.  It will be you who decides what to do next. In this context, you hold your own fate in your hands, or the fate of others.  Will you decide properly?

Our response to stressful incidents almost always falls back to our training.  If we have no training, our response is likely to be undisciplined, chaotic and unfocused.  If we have some form of training, it may take a moment to kick in.  The more training we have that is similar to the event, the more likely our response will be swift and sure.

Do you know CPR?  Why not?  It is a relatively easy life-saving technique that can be applied by almost anyone. It could save the life of your spouse, parents or children just as readily as that of a stranger.  It may not guarantee survival of a heart attack victim, but it gives them a fighting chance to survive.

Do you know how to use a gun?  Why not?  The same arguments apply here as for CPR.  In the event of a life-threatening crime, like robbery, rape, kidnapping, murder, mayhem, knowing how to respond quickly and effectively can make the difference between life and death.  That gun, like CPR, could save the life of your spouse, parents or children just as readily as that of a stranger being attacked. 

You can't easily give yourself CPR, but you as the first person on the scene can save a life.  During a crime against a person, there is always a first responder present.  The police call them a victim.  How they respond can make a huge difference, not only in the outcome of that crime, but of all crime. 

Imagine for a moment that we have managed to rid ourselves of idiotic school administrators possessing the bureaucratic "zero tolerance policy" mentality towards small knives. Little pocket knives with blades under three inches.  Now imagine the child molester who tried to grab little Suzie Sweetness off the sidewalk while she's walking home. If Suzie is prepared, taught by her parents, she uses that little knife, along with kicking and screaming to get away from the child molester.  Repeat this a few hundred times and child molesters will have to become wary.  They'll have to spend more time selecting the time, place and child.  That makes them vulnerable to detection, interdiction and arrest. 

You are the first responder.  The governmental agencies all respond after the crime has occurred.  They aren't there to protect you. They are there to document what they think happened.  They'll collect evidence, leave fingerprint powder and crime scene tape and go find the perpetrators.  They owe you nothing.  Not protection, not security, nothing.

Any time a victim can disrupt the criminal's plans and thwart a crime, it is a victory for society.  The little girl who stabs her abductor in the wrist or the armed citizen who isn't harmed because he drew his firearm reduces crime. Instead of a kidnapping and a robbery, we have attempted crimes.  Crimes without victims suffering or dying in terror. 

The next time you renew your CCW, consider taking or updating your CPR skills. That way you'll have two ways to save lives.

BATF Gunrunner Scandal



The BATF Gunrunner fiasco continues to grow into a full-blown Watergate style scandal.  Now the news media is sniffing around, scratching at the surface like they always do, asking the wrong questions.

You can read all about it on the HCA website here: ATF Scandal - Project Gunrunner.

The latest information is that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee gave BATF and DOJ until March 30th to provide documents and information to his committee.  When that deadline expired without a response from DOJ, Rep. Issa issued a subponea demanding DOJ respond by April 16.  As of Easter, the 24th, the DOJ has blown off Issa's inquiries and the subponea.  Issa plans to press forward with contempt of Congress charges against DOJ officials. 

Let's hope he goes for the big fish.  He should be turning the thumbscrews on acting BATF director Kenneth Melson and dragging DOJ's lawyers through the mud for giving bad advice.

Mexico To Sue U.S. Gun Makers?

More stupidity from the politicians.  Mexcian President Felipe Calderon’s government has hired U.S. trial lawyers to investigate possible litigation against U.S. gun makers and firearms retailers, seeking to hold these lawful companies responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms in Mexico.  

Well, ain't that special?  I had no idea that the Brady Campaign employed anyone who could speak Spanish.  It sounds as if the Brady's, the VPC and Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns are now advising Mexico to stir up the pot.  I'm sure we'll hear the same old discredited arguments.  The gun industry makes their guns more available along the border so they'll be sold to any Tom, Dick or Juan who comes in with a paper sack full of cash (with BATF approval of course).  Thus, by flooding the region with guns, they support Mexico's drug cartels.  If it's not that theory, it'll be one just as retarded.

Look at it this way.  I've seen some photos of the drug cartel gunfights. After a gunfight, the cartel members escape in vehicles.  Perhaps Calderon should be suing U.S. carmakers because their lawful products are misused by the drug cartel. 

Let's look at some real facts here.  Remember that number Mr. Obama and Attorney General Holder tossed around a while back?   That 90% of the guns traced originated in the U.S.?  That number is now thoroughly discredited.  Subsequent analysis shows...

* 80% of guns recovered in Mexico do not come from the U.S.

* An indpendent study by STRATFOR, show less than 12% of the guns seized in Mexico came from the US

* ATF traces on recovered guns showed most guns were sold at retail on average, 14 years ago.

* ATF inspected more than 2,000 dealers along the border. 

* No criminal charges were filed against the dealers, not even for gun running.

* Out of 2000 dealers, two had their liceneses revoked (0.01%) for unspecified violations.

During the time of the ATF dealer inspections as many as 150,000 Mexican soldiers defected to work for the drug cartels, bringing their American-made service-issued firearms with them.

It would seem that the two biggest suppliers of firearms to Mexico are the BATF and our DEA anti-drug efforts.  Uncle Sam is providing more guns than the cartels could buy in a year.

Why is it that politicians seem to believe that holding a manufactuer responsible the criminal misuse of a produce he made a decade-and-a-half ago is "reasonable" or "common sense"? Wouldn't that mean Chevrolet is responsible for many drive-by shootings in LA, Chicago, D.C. and even in Mexico? 

What about the makers of knives?  Should Gerber, Kabar, Chicago Cutlery and Onedia be held responsible for stabbing deaths and injuries?  After all, don't they all make those deadly "stabbing weapons"?